News

Global Alternative Fuels (GAF) will expand its biodiesel plant in El Paso, Texas, US, from 5 to 20 million gallons a year. The expansion also includes installing equipment to process grease thrown out by restaurants without having to blend the grease with refined soyabean oil. This and the higher processing capacity reduces production costs significantly. The first phase of the biodiesel…
Read More »

The need for repairs at its new plant in Belgium means Germany-based ethanol producer CropEnergies will reduce its planned production for Q3. A unit in the distillation part of the plant did not provide the process stability required for a continuous operation. The repairing of the unit is expected to be completed in November. The production facility will then gradually be brought up to its…
Read More »

Ontario, Canada-based StormFisher Biogas will fuel its plants with organic waste thanks to a new deal. Food retailer Loblaw Companies will supply 15,000 metric tons a year to the $15 million (€10 million) biogas plant in London, Ontario. The agreement with Loblaw, a subsidiary of Canadian food distributor giant George Weston, is StormFisher’s biggest deal since last year’s announcement…
Read More »

Africa’s massive land mass and rich feedstocks have attracted the attention of Brazilian industrial giant Odebrecht. The company is planning to inject $220million (€149 million) into sugar and ethanol production in Angola amounting to the production of 30 million litres of ethanol a year. The Brazilian company has set up a joint venture, Biocom, with the Angolan state-owned oil firm…
Read More »

Brazilian ethanol and sugar groups ETH Bioenergia and Brenco are deliberating a merger which could create one of Brazil's largest bioethanol producers. The projects combined could yield 3 billion litres of ethanol a year by 2013/14. It would also crush 37 million tonnes of sugarcane annually. ‘Both companies have modern, competitive assets which are headed for a future of clean and…
Read More »

Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, is gearing up to build one of the US’s largest biomass power plants. The cost of the project, including the acquisition, totals around $500 million (€338.6 million). As part of the project, Southern Power acquired Nacogdoches Power, from American Renewables. The company will have a 20-year purchase-power agreement with Austin Energy, the…
Read More »

Wales, UK-based Anglesey Aluminium Metals has submitted an application for approval of a 299-MW biomass power plant to be located near the company’s aluminium smelter and possibly power it. If approved, the plant would consume about 2.4 million tons of woody biomass, such as wood chips, pellets or agricultural residues, a year. Anglesey Aluminium hopes to commence basic construction in early…
Read More »

In the UK, Scotland comes a step closer to greener heat and power following the signing of a multi-million-pound deal. A contract established between Tullis Russell Papermakers and RWE NPower means a 50-megawatt biomass power plant will supply energy for Tullis Russell’s mill in Markinch, Fife, Scotland. The plant will replace an existing coal-fired power plant, owned by RWE NPower…
Read More »

Asia has long fuelled the biofuels boom with its oil-rich feedstocks. It is now using the feedstock waste for generation of green power. Asiatic Group (Holdings) will take a 30% stake in joint venture to develop a RM150 million (€29.9 million) biomass project in Perak to convert empty oil palm fruit bunches into electric power. The group, through subsidiary, Colben Energy (Singapore) Pte,…
Read More »

US-based renewable fuels provider New Generation Biofuels Holdings (NGBF) is branching out to Puerto Rico. The company has signed a Letter Of Intent (LOI) with Ace Biofuels of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Under this LOI, Ace Biofuels would license product formulations, manufacturing technology and know-how from NGBF with the intent of constructing a biofuel manufacturing facility and marketing NGBF…
Read More »

The waste produced from pigs could be the fuel of the future. German biogas plant manufacturer WELtec BioPower has begun building another 500-kW biogas plant in the UK designed to run in part on pig manure. The plant in Staffordshire, England, will be commissioned in January 2010. The investor and farmer will first operate the plant with pig manure and 2,000 tonnes of maize silage a year.…
Read More »

Canadian biofuel production is expected to rise 76% in two years, as government subsidies for production plants and renewable-fuel requirements take effect. Total biofuel production will reach 2.5 billion litres (660 million gallons) annually by 2011, including 2 billion litres of ethanol and 500 million litres of biodiesel, according to Gordon Quaiattini, president of the Canadian Renewable…
Read More »

Bulgaria is boosting its biofuels mix. All Bulgarian petrol stations will be obliged to add at least 2% biodiesel in the diesel fuel after 1 March 2010. All petrol stations will have a two-month period in which they must apply the new rules. This measure has been included in the amendments of the Law on Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources and Biofuels, which the Council of Ministers…
Read More »