A new 49.3 MW biomass power plant is planed in the UK on the banks of River Tees. The plant will look like the image above, to which we say – awesome! Yap, it looks like a volcano, but it produces energy. We like the idea of having such a sight in our neighbourhood. What do you think?
[Via: gizmodo]
A-Power and Thailand's Biomass Electricity have signed a definitive DG contract to develop a 150 MW biomass firing power plant in Prachinburi, Thailand.
The $86 million contract covers the design of the power station, the procurement and installation of the three main engines and other auxiliary equipment. A-Power will be the general contractor for the five main power station systems: the civic engineering system, the chemical water treatment system, the output system, the electrical system and the thermal control system.
This biomass DG project has commenced in December and has the estimated duration of 27 months.
[source: A-Power]
Former Fraser Paper Mill in Berlin, New Hampshire
Laidlaw Berlin BioPower, an affiliate of Laidlaw Energy Group, has filed its all-inclusive permit application with the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee seeking the requisite approvals to construct and operate a nominal 70 MW biomass-energy facility at the former Fraser Papers pulp mill in Berlin, NH. The company completed the acquisition of the site last December with a group of private equity investors and since then has been preparing the paperwork, including a long-term power purchase agreement.
As for the duration of the permitting process before the Committee, it is expected to take approximately nine months, based on the expedited review process that New Hampshire affords to renewable energy facilities…
[source: Laidlaw]
UK's waste treatment company New Earth has received a 4 million GBP investment from Carbon Trust. Following that, New Earth has completed the second closing in its ongoing 15 million GBP equity fundraising announced in August 2009, raising 9 million GBP to date. This follows a 5 million GBP investment in September 2009 by AIM-listed cleantech investment company Ludgate Environmental Fund Limited.
For the record, New Earth has developed low impact, fully-enclosed facilities for the mechanical and biological treatment of waste. The company currently has three operational sites in Dorset, Kent and Gloucestershire, and has secured planning consent for three additional locations.
Commenting on the announcement, New Earth's Chris Cox said: "We are delighted to announce that Carbon Trust has become the second investor in our current equity fund-raising process. The Carbon Trust is a highly respected and high profile investor and will add significant value as we continue the expansion of our waste treatment and energy recovery facilities throughout the UK."
[source: Carbon Trust]
Acciona has obtained preallocations for a total of 1100 MW of renewable energy projects in the register of the Spanish Ministry of Industry. The projects include CSP projects, wind farms and biomass plants.
A total of 250 MW of CSP projects have been preallocated, spread out over five different projects, each of them with 50 MW of capacity. The projects are Alvarado (aka La Risca), Palma del Río I and Palma del Río II (in Andalusia), and Orellana and Majadas (in Extremadura). These are part of Phase 1 of the four phases established by the Spanish Cabinet, this November 13. This means the preallocated projects can become operations as soon as they are completed. Together, they make for 28% of the CSP capacity in this phase, and 11% of CSP capacity in the total capacity planned for all phases.
Wind energy projects will make a total of 824 MW of additional capacity in this phase, spread out over 29 projects. This makes 13% of overall planned capacity for this type of renewable energy. Thirteen of these projects (441.45 MW) are located in Valencia – Boira, Losilla, Salomon, Benalaz, Benalaz II, El Mulatón, Las Bodeguillas, La Solana, Rincón del Cabello and Alto Palancia III, 100% owned by Acciona, and Peñas de Dios, Peñas de Dios II and Cerro de la Nevera, which are 50% owned by Acciona. Five wind farms are located in Andalusia (159.6 MW) – Viento de Alcalá, Castellana, Loma de Lázaro, Llano del Espino and Cerro Gaviria. Castilla y León gets another five projects (126 MW) – Celada I, Celada V, Peña Nebina, Sierra Sesnández and Cerro de la Mira. Castilla-La Mancha also get five projects (92 MW) – El Relumbrar, Peralejo, Escepar, Villamayor and El Chaparro, while Galicia will get a single project, the Goa (5.2 MW).
The two biomass projects have a total of 30 MW of capacity and they are Miajadas and Alcázar de San Juan. This represents 34% of the total planned preallocated capacity.
[source: Acciona]
Seattle-based AltAir Fuels has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with 14 major airlines from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Germany, led by the Air Transport Association (ATA), to negotiate the purchase of up to 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina. The move clearly demonstrates the airlines' determination to reduce emissions and accelerate the deployment of renewable jet fuel.
AltAir will produce the biofuel at a new facility in Anacortes, Washington, with a nameplate capacity of 100 million gallons per year, and slated beginning of operations in 2012.
The participating airlines include, American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Blue Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, United Airlines, UPS Airlines, and US Airways.
According to AltAir Fuels, Camelina has a number of advantages as a feedstock for renewable jet fuel, including:
Finally, it's worth pointing out that camelina is the most heavily tested and proven renewable fuel feedstock, having already powered two commercial aviation test flights — Japan Airlines and KLM — in 2009. In addition, the U.S. military has performed ground engine tests on camelina-based jet fuel in preparation for FA-18 Hornet fighter jet flights planned for spring 2010.
[source: AltAir Fuels]
Covanta Holding Corporation announced that it has begun constructing a new energy-from-waste facility in Dublin, Ireland. The project is being built as a public-private partnership between Dublin City Council and Dublin Waste to Energy Limited, which is majority owned by Covanta. Through its subsidiaries, Covanta is responsible for the design and construction of the project, which will be able to process up to 600,000 tonnes of waste per year, and will require approximately three years to complete with estimated total cost of about 350 million EUR.
Covanta will operate and maintain the project for Dublin Waste to Energy Limited, which has entered into a 25 year tip fee arrangement with four Dublin local authorities through the Dublin City Council to provide disposal services for a minimum of 320,000 tonnes of waste annually, representing over half of the facility's capacity. The remaining capacity will be contracted from the market place, as communities across Ireland. When completed, the facility will generate enough electricity to providing enough power for approximately 50,000 homes as well as district heating potential for approximately 60,000 homes.
[source: Covanta]
PetroAlgae has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Foster Wheeler AG's Global Engineering and Construction Group for engineering services to be performed in conjunction with PetroAlgae's micro-crop technology that allows for the large-scale production of dry biomass.
PetroAlgae intends to work with Foster Wheeler to develop commercial solutions for existing oil refineries to convert micro-crop biomass into fuels. For refineries, the solutions are expected to provide strong economics from the large-scale processing of PetroAlgae's micro-crop biomass into green fuels. The two firms will create end-to-end market solutions for the large-scale production of green gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and specialty chemicals…
[source: PetroAlgae]
Gov. Bill Richardson and the New Mexico congressional delegation have recently launched an initiative to develop a statewide strategic plan to make New Mexico a national leader in the biofuels industry.
The initial meeting for the initiative called "Toward a New Mexico State Plan for Biofuels Leadership" will bring together more than 50 national and state experts from industry, science, education, agriculture, nonprofit and government at the Roundhouse to begin development of a roadmap for sustainable, economically feasible and cost-competitive biofuels that capitalizes on the state's human and natural resources.
The kick-off meeting was coordinated by the Southwestern Biofuels Association (SWBA), an NGO that promotes renewable biofuels through strategic partnerships between the Southwest's universities, national laboratories, state agencies, agriculture, energy industry and consumers.
Participants will meet over the next three months to develop specific recommendations and strategies, and the public will be invited to attend workgroup sessions and comment on elements of the plan as it develops. An Advisory Panel including representatives from the state's biofuels industry and supporting organizations also will provide input to the plan that will be unveiled April 13-14, 2010, at the SWBA Biofuels Policy Summit in Albuquerque. The plan will be open for public comment until May 30, 2010… Additional details are available from SWBA's website.
[source: Southwestern Biofuels Association]
OriginOil announced partnership with Research Institute of Tsukuba Bio-Tech (RITB), recently approved for two-year funding to develop algae to jet fuel applications by Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST).
Headed by Tsukuba University professor emeritus and algae researcher Takaaki Maekawa, PhD, RITB recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OriginOil to develop and distribute systems in Japan for aircraft fuel production, algae to oil production, and other industry applications.
In the partners' first joint action, OriginOil spoke at a recent invitation-only workshop at Tsukuba University, which was attended by RITB collaborators such as Japan Airlines Aero-Consulting, IBDAIWA, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Dow Chemical, Dentsu Tech, Tsukuba Agricultural Cooperation, NPO Genki Agricultural Production Organization, Nagata Trade Company, Tosho Merchandise Corporation as well as representatives of Aomori Prefecture and Tsukuba City…
[source: OriginOil]
