Week of June 29, 2009 |
Editor: C.V. Clute editor@epoverviews.com Green Energy Resources seals $300 mn US Biomass deal (G&C) New York-based Green Energy Resources has signed a 10-year, $300 million domestic biomass supply contract for an unspecified power plant. The contract provides for monthly fuel adjustments and yearly inflation increases over the span of the deal. Shipments are slated to begin in spring, 2010. The yet to be identified power plant requires from one million to 1.5 million tons annually. Green Energy Resources uses wood from storm damage and other urban wood waste streams. The company currently exports woodchips to power plants in Europe, as previously detailed. (Source: Market Watch, June 25, 2009)
Woody Biomass last-minute addition to H.R. 2454 (Leg. & Reg.) The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, H.R. 2454, approved by the House of Representatives, includes a last minute addition by Reps. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, Greg Walden, R-Portland, and Kurt Schrader, D-Portland to define logging slash and wood debris from national forests as a renewable energy source while excluding debris taken from national parks, wilderness areas, roadless areas or old growth. The bill now proceeds to the Senate. (Source: Columbian, June 26, 2009)
$1 mn US for Wood-Biomass plant in Kentucky (Funding - Ind. Report) Trigg County, Kentucky is receiving $1 million in federal stimulus funds for planning, designing and starting up a biomass facility that would use regionally-sourced waste and low-value wood for power generation.
Additional Wood-to-Energy and Biomass projects identified as recipients of $57 million US in funding from the USDA are identified in previous editions of this publication. (Source: AP, June 28, 2009)
Breakthrough for Dynamotive Energy Systems' BioOil (New Prod. & Tech.) Richmond, British Columbia-based Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation indicates that independent analyses of upgraded BioOil samples have established the potential for development of synthetic hydrocarbon mobile fuels. The company's process involves pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce a primary liquid fuel, BioOil, which is then hydro-reformed to a Stage 1 gas-oil equivalent liquid fuel that can be either directly utilized in blends with hydrocarbon fuels for industrial stationary power and heating applications or be further upgraded to transportation grade liquid hydrocarbon fuels in a Stage 2 hydrotreating process.
The samples analyzed were stage 2 upgraded BioOil. Dynamotive further confirmed that it is actively optimizing the upgrading process and will continue both internal and external independent testing. The company has also initiated the design and engineering of a pilot plant to produce required quantities for testing in targeted mobile applications. (Source: Dynamotive, June 29, 2009)
$14 mn US contract for Metso (Int'l - G&C) Under a $14 million US ( €10 million ) contract, Finland-based Metso will supply Keuruun Lampovoima Oy with a biomass boiler plant for combined heat and power production (CHP) in the town of Keuruu, Finland. The boiler plant will be delivered by the Metso-Wartsila joint venture MW Power Oy. Equipment related to environmental systems will be delivered by Metso's power business line. Plant start-up is scheduled for the end of 2010. (Source: Marketwire, June 29, 2009)
State Energy Program funding for California includes $15 mn US for Alternative Fuels training (Funding)
Continuing to roll out funds under the State Energy Program, U.S. DOE Secretary Steven Chu has announced more than $154 million in Recovery Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in California, Missouri, New Hampshire and North Carolina.
Initial funds of 40% have been authorized, with 10% of total funding previously available to states to support planning activities and the remaining funds will be provided to the states upon successful implementation of the programs. Of particular note is the $90.4 million provided to California. In addition to various energy efficiency measures, as part of California's State Energy Program, the California Energy Commission is investing $15 million through June 30, 2012, in building a workforce to meet alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technology needs through its Green Jobs Training Program. Additional funding available - $113 million.
(Source: U.S. DOE, June 26, 2009)
Bion Environmental patents Waste treatment process (New Prod. & Tech.) Bion Environmental Technologies' U.S. Patent application 11/592,513 entitled "Low Oxygen Biologically Mediated Nutrient Removal" has been approved and, once granted, will remain in force until November 5, 2024. This new patent strengthens Bion's protection for the process's ability to convert and remove phosphorous and provides wider process configuration coverage, greatly enhancing the ability to provide flexible waste treatment systems. Bion's patents protected proprietary technology uses biological, chemical and mechanical processes to remove nutrients and other harmful substances, as well as extract renewable energy, from high-volume concentrated livestock waste streams. According to the company, its system can be configured to simultaneously reclaim renewable energy from the 'waste' biomass in a highly efficient process. (Source: PR Newswire, June 30, 2009)
Joint Genome Institute identifies Bioenergy research projects (R&D) The U.S. DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has selected 71 new genomic sequencing projects for its 2010 Community Sequencing Program (CSP), several of which have specific bioenergy applications.
Funded projects target the development of enzymes for bioenergy use - the sequencing of the gut wall and microbial community of the desert locust; microbial communities in the guts of 11 plant-digesting insects from New Zealand and 3 termites from Australia; and a white rot fungus that attacks plants known as Phlebiopsis gigantea. Other projects are focused on the development of more effective fermentation of plant-derived sugars into liquid fuels through research on E. coli mutants that have been specifically developed to have higher alcohol tolerances. In addition, sequencing of a member of the mustard family known as Boechera holboelli may provide insights into better methods of breeding crops, including those used for biofuel feedstocks. (Source: Eureka Alert, June 30, 2009)
Madera Energy's 27 proposed MW Biomass plant in Massachusetts clears hurdle (Ind. Report - Leg. & Reg.) The Greenfield, Massachusetts Zoning Board of Appeals has voted to give special permits to Cambridge, Mass.-based Madera Energy for the construction of a 47 MW biomass plant. Previous project details were included in our May 4, 2009 edition. (Source: The Republican, June 30. 2009)
Vega selects Tennessee Power Company for planned Biomass facility in Georgia (Industry Report - G&C) Vega Promotional Systems, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Natural Fuels Industries, has chosen Chattanooga, Tennessee-based consulting firm Tennessee Power Company, Inc. to assist in the construction of a planned biomass production facility in Georgia. Vega's business plan calls for manufacturing facilities to be constructed in various locations around the world. The Georgia location would be the company's first in the U.S. and would serve as a model facility for other installations. (Source: PR Newswire, June 30, 2009)
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