On the court's own motion, the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan oral arguments scheduled for June 2 have been pushed back to Sept. 27, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced on May 16.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced more than $8.5 million to expand and accelerate technologies and strategies that promote the use of wood in heat and power generation, commercial construction, and other wood product innovations.
More Art Than Science
May 13, 2016
The May/June issue of Pellet Mill Magazine covers the industry's relationship with feedstock, the market dynamics impacting feedstock buyers and sellers, as well as industry requirements ensuring sustainability within a feedstock program.
Stockpiled inventory throughout the pellet supply chain is putting downward pressure on raw material prices—a possible advantage for some producers long-term.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting total renewables used in the electric power sector will increase by 11.3 percent in 2016 and 4.4 percent in 2017.
Earlier this month, FutureMetrics LLC published a white paper that discusses why an editorial the Washington Post published at the end of April, and the letter to U.S. Congress the article was based on, are wrong about biomass for energy.
Change the Game
By Michele Rebiere
May 11, 2016
Diversification and sustainability are key to the future of the pellet sector. Rebiere says the industry must band together to invest in the long-term development effort of a domestic industrial market to support pellet producers of all sizes.
Andritz recently released first quarter financial results, reporting sales of nearly EUR 1.29 billion ($1.46 billion), down 8.5 percent from the same period of 2014. According to the company, all business areas recorded a decline in sales.
On May 11, Rentech Inc. reported first quarter results significantly below historic levels, attributing a main reason as being the struggles faced by the domestic wood pellet industry in the face of a warm winter and low oil prices.
U.S. Energy Information Administration released its International Energy Outlook 2016, which continues to show rising levels of energy demand over the next three decades. Renewables are the fastest-growing energy source over the projection period.
Feedstock and Supply Chain Sustainability
By Stan Kinsman
May 10, 2016
Sustainability factors weigh heavily on biomass projects, in development or in operation, and some have led seasoned investors and operators to cease operations.
Coming to Terms With Sustainability
By Charlie Niebling
May 10, 2016
Heating with pellet fuel exists by virtue of a social license, and to keep it, Niebling says, industry must come to terms with the concept of sustainability and incorporate its consideration into everything it does, especially sourcing feedstocks.
The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to define a sustainable European Union bioenergy policy for the period post-2020, and to open up the debate through its public consultation.
The law firm of an attorney serving as insolvency administrator to German Pellets GmbH has released a statement noting three of the company's pellet plants in Germany have been sold, with negotiations ongoing in the sale of a fourth.
The Cost of Doing Business
By Ron Kotrba
May 09, 2016
As the Sustainable Biomass Partnership gains momentum, the first U.S. pellet producer to achieve accreditation shares its journey to this status.
Recognizing the importance of biofuels to energy and climate security, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced up to $90 million in project funding focused on designing, constructing and operating integrated biorefinery facilities.
On May 5, Enviva Partners LP released its first quarter results, reporting that solid operating and financial performance during a historically high cost quarter lay a strong foundation for the remainder of the year.
The USDA has updated its Farm Storage Facility Loan Program, which provides low-interest financing so agricultural producers can build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Renewable biomass is among the eligible commodities.
A bioenergy project in Queensland could become a reality thanks to early stage funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The project would produce ethanol, lignin for power production and fuel pellets.
North American wood pellet exports reached record high in 2015
By Wood Resources International LLC
May 04, 2016
North America exports of wood pellets reached record-highs in 2015, with the U.S. Gulf States increasing shipments by 70 percent from 2Q/15 to 4Q/15, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review.
The University of California is on the verge of purchasing the Sierra Pacific Industries Loyalton, California, mill and associated property, including a 20-MW, combined-heat-and-power (CHP) biomass unit.
Nippon Paper to install torrefied pellet demonstration plant
By Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd.
May 03, 2016
Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. signed a joint research and development agreement with Phoenix Pulp and Paper Public Co. Ltd. to install demonstration facilities in Thailand for the production of torrefied pellets.
The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change's consultation on the reform of the Renewable Heat Incentive closed April 27. The U.K. Renewable Energy Association weighed in on how the reforms could impact the biomass and biogas industries.
U.K. DECC published monthly statistics and summary of quarter one deployment data for RHI program. During the quarter, there was a large number of biogas applications for the nondomestic scheme and fewer biomass applications in the domestic scheme.
Two Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are studying the virtual tug-of-war that takes place when a pathogen attacks a plant. Better understanding those changes could unlock new ways to improve plants by making them more disease-resistant.
On May 5, Biomass Research and Development Board operations committee is expected to hold a listening session, titled “Building a Billion Ton Bioeconomy in the United States.� The two-hour webinar is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Despite an off year overall for the global pellet market, Astec Industries reported that its pellet division continues to be a bright spot for the company. In its Q1 2016 financial earnings call, Astec reported net sales for Q1 as $278.7 million.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office hosted a roundtable discussion with a group of 4-H youth delegates from across the country on April 12. The roundtable was part of the larger National 4-H Conference.
A German-designed Wittus pellet stove has been named winner of the third Pellet Stove Design Challenge, an event coordinated by the Alliance for Green Heat and this year hosted by the U.S. DOE's Brookhaven National Lab.
What is waste? Initially, the question seems rhetorical, but in practice, the answers have significant impacts on the industry.
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