Other News

Delegates can now start networking and arrange meetings even before Bioenergy International expo and conference starts. The event, now eight weeks away in Prague on 5-6 May, features a networking suite for all delegates and speakers which have registered, allowing you to specifically choose who you want to have lunch with. Key speakers you can meet include H.E. Mr. Jan Dusík, Minister of the…
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Cellulosic ethanol producer Range Fuels has received a loan note guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and closed its related $80 million (€58.8 million) bond issuance. The proceeds from the $80 million bond will be used to partially finance the first two phases of construction of Range Fuels' first commercial cellulosic biofuels plant using renewable and sustainable…
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In Argentina a new mandate ensuring 5% of all diesel contain biomass-derived sources has come into force, according to reports. Estimates put the amount of biodiesel required to fulfill this at 859,000 tonnes a year. Argentina is a leading exporter of biodiesel and the world’s number one soyabean oil supplier. With smaller plants unable to meet the extra annual demand created by the 5% blend…
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It has been a long wait, but now ethanol producers in the US should get some peace of mind when the sun comes. The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) will decide by late summer whether to allow higher levels of ethanol to be blended into petrol. The EPA is considering an industry request for a waiver from federal rules to allow petrol to contain up to 15% ethanol. Petrol is now approved to…
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The Zimbabwean government has launched plans for the construction of a sugarcane-to-ethanol refinery. The plant, which will provide Zimbabwe with 80% of its ethanol needs, will be built on land currently owned by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority in Chisumbanje and cost $600 million (€439.2 million) to construct. In the first stages of production 40,000 hectares of land will…
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In the US, members of the tax-writing committees Senate Finance and House Ways and Means have been urged to create a 30% investment tax credit for upcoming commercial biorefinery builds. The leaders of the House and Senate tax-writing board received a letter from 32 biofuels companies and trade groups which believe that this investment tax credit is crucial to boost the biofuels industry, after…
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Gas and electricity provider Duke Energy could soon be issued with renewable energy certificates after asking regulators in North Carolina to register two of its plants as sustainable energy facilities. In 2007 the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law stating that all plants in North Carolina must use renewable resources to generate a portion a the energy they sell. This law will become…
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Future Fuels, the Renewable Transport Fuel investment product of Future Capital Partners (FCP), has acquired a site and planning permission for its bioethanol refinery in Grimsby, UK. The project will be owned, funded and constructed by FCP and Vireol as they are undertaking the project together. Construction of the site is due to begin mid 2010 and cost approximately £200 million (€221…
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At least 5% of total electricity production in Vietnam could come from renewable sources by 2020. This equates to 2,400 MW a year experts says. Before the southeast Asian country reaches this figure, the government will need to provide hefty capital assistance. Le Tuan Phong, deputy director of the Ministry of Industrial and Trades Energy Department, says the sector would focus on developing…
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As with many countries reduced demand for diesel in the past few months has had an impact on the sector in the Czech Republic. And added to this future blend rates are not yet set. Total production capacity in the Czech Republic is about 300,000 tonnes a year but use is only around 40%. The government proposal which has been sent to the Czech Parliament suggests a change to the Air Protection…
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Since the year 2006, 114,000 biogas pools have been built in the rural areas of Tibet. The Tibet Department of Farming and Animal Husbandry claims that around 570,000 farmers and herdsmen will now be provided with clean methane. The state council gave the green light for 155,705 biogas pools to be constructed in rural villages in Tibet, costing 659.26 million Yuan (€71.2 million). Further…
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In the Philippines, Phil-Korean Renewable Energy is planning to invest $71.26 million (€52.6 million) on the construction of a biomass plant. The refinery, due to begin construction later in 2010, will utilise woodchips to produce 30MW of power that will be supplied to Palawan Electric. The chairman of Phil-Korean Renewable Won Gul Lee has said that the company will replace those trees…
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Canada-based biofuels firm Enerkem may have come up with a solution to create cheap biofuels while at the same time decreasing the amount of rubbish on landfill sites. The current problem with using ethanol as a biofuel is that it is still expensive but contains much less energy to the gallon compared to petrol. With a waste-to-fuels facility in Mississippi set up to help Enerkem, and a $51…
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