Other News

State-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Company (Petrovietnam) has started construction on a second bioethanol plant in the central province of Quang Ngai. The $80 million (€56 million) plant which will use cassava as feedstock, is expected to open in 18 months with annual capacity of 100,000m³. The project is the second of three planned biofuel plants in Vietnam, each costing $80 million, the…
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US-based Ultra Green Energy Services has announced that it is adding two terminals to its expanding New York network. Burt’s Reliable and Westmore Fuel, both located in New York, have joined with Chicago-based Ultra Green to store, blend and sell Ultra Green Biodiesel at their terminals. The additional terminals expand Ultra Green’s biodiesel network from the tip of Long Island to…
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Renewable Energy Group Seneca has purchased Nova Biofuels Seneca’s biodiesel plant in Illinois, US. The plant has a capacity of 60 million gallons a year. REG also bought Nova Biosource Technologies. Earlier this year, REG purchased three large biodiesel plants: Western Iowa Energy, (30 mgy); Central Iowa Energy (30 mgy); and Blackhawk Biofuels 45 (mgy).
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The American Midwest is known for big things. Now a project to create the largest biomass-fuelled plant in the region has been granted approval. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has unanimously approved the regional utility giant Xcel Energy’s plans to spend $58.1 million (€39 million) to upgrade its Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland, installing biomass gasification technology so…
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In the US, Epec Biofuels Holdings and DPG Investments have established a joint venture to provide funds for biofuels projects. The two entities have formed Epec Finance, which will provide project financing to Epec Biofuels and select financing initiatives in the biofuels and renewable energy sectors. Epec Finance will fund up to $376 million (€253.5 million) of project financing for Epec…
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The US industry expected to hear the news this month, but now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will further delay a decision to raise ethanol in blended petrol to 15% from 10%. The decision date is likely to be mid-2010, something which will frustrate ethanol producers which have expressed concerns sitting on the E10 wall will limit growth of the industry to about 12 billion gallons.…
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In Argentina, Ledesma has announced it will invest $37 million (€25.8 million) to produce ethanol from sugarcane. The sum will enhance sugarcane cultivation, expand a distillery, and install a dehydrator to produce ethanol for the Argentine market. The initiative is part of the $222 million investment package planned by the agro-industrial complex for 2008-2011.
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US-based ZeaChem, a developer of biorefineries for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals, has raised $34 million (€26 million) in initial Series B financing. ZeaChem is developing a cellulose-based green fuels and chemicals biorefinery platform that converts renewable non-food biomass into market-competitive products such as ethanol. ZeaChem will begin construction on the plant…
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UK-based food waste recycler Prosper de Mulder (PDM) has announced plans to spend £110 million (€123 million) over the next three years on waste to energy plants. The company will construct five new food waste-to-energy plants using both biomass and anaerobic digestion (AD) technology. PDM will secure 17,000 tonnes a year of waste from UK supermarket Sainsbury's 283 nationwide stores by…
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Switzerland-headquartered biodiesel producer Biopetrol has announced a major corporate restructuring, but will continue output at both its major German biodiesel plants on a short-time working basis. The short-time basis is being prepared at its 200,000 tonne capacity biodiesel plant in Rostock alongside its previously announced short-time working basis for the 150,000 tonne plant in…
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US ethanol lobby groups have combined to officially file a petition with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting the amount of ethanol that is blended into petrol be raised from 10% to 15%. The March 6 filing was accompanied by hundreds of pages of research supporting the groups’ claims that no significant damage would be incurred by the nation’s vehicles if the increase were…
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US senators have introduced a new legislation in Washington DC, for renewable biomass. Senators John Thune, Jon Tester, and Saxby Chambliss all agreed that a new bill, previously known under the RFS and the 2008 Farm Bill gives a clearer and better understanding of renewable biomass. Prior to the 2008 Bill, The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 bill excluded all materials derived…
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A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed, proposing a joint venture to build a 15-megawatt co-generation power plant and pellet mill, between Biomass Secure Power Inc. and Naik Development. The MOU establishes that Biomass Secure Power will be in charge of the technical expertise for the development and building of the plant, whilst Naik Development will provide the access to fibre…
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One of Brazil’s largest sugar and ethanol groups Santelisa has confirmed that it has been bought by French commodities group Louis Dreyfus. The Brazilian subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus, Commodities Bioenergia (LDC), expects to incorporate Santelisa within two months pending the Brazilian company restructuring its debt of €970 million. In order to make the deal viable LDC Bioenergia needed to…
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