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A power plant in Aitkokan, Ontario will undergo a conversion over the next two years that will change the facility’s focus from coal to biomass. The conversion project for the Atikokan Generating Station, located about 200km northwest of Thunder Bay, will begin later this year and is scheduled to be fully operational by 2014. Upon completion, it will provide more than 200 megawatts of energy to the provincial power grid. The plant will us...

In a draft of the state’s 10-year energy action plan, Oregon governor John Kitzhaber and his government have instituted a strong focus on biomass energy. Given the geography and biodiversity of the state, the report says “Oregon has a unique ability to lead in developing the next generation of biomass and cogeneration facilities, as forests cover nearly half of Oregon’s 63 million acres.” Nearly 60 per cent of those 63 million acres...

Magna Exteriors, a Canadian auto parts maker, has partnered with the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) to investigate the viability of integrating wood fibre in plastic auto parts. “Currently, Magna moulds a number of components and sub-systems using long glass filled polypropylene (LGFPP) for global automotive manufacturers,” reported Pulp and Paper Canada. “In certain applications glass fibre can be substitu...

An army facility in New York will undergo a conversion from coal-fired power to biomass power as part of a project conceived to help the US Department of Defense meet renewable energy initiatives. Last month ReEnergy Holdings LLC purchased the idled 60MW coal-fired facility at Fort Drum announcing an investment of $34 million to upgrade the plant. The facility has since been renamed ReEnergy Black River and is set to begin its operations in 20...

January 31, 2012 conference call replay - playback on demand dial in number: 1-855-201-2300 Conference Reference Number: 764917 # Conference Pass code: 98030 #  (The Phone number on news release is incorrect) Today, Fortress Paper Ltd.  announced that it has, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Fortress Global Cellulose Ltd. ("Fortress Global"), signed an asset purchase agreement (the "APA")with 9109-3294 Quebec Inc., a wholly owned subsi...

Industry leaders in the US are calling on the federal government to invest more time and money on the biomass industry. Proposed cuts to a farming bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) – are a signal to some that this particular alternative energy sector isn’t receiving the intention it deserves. “Cuts in BCAP could put additional pressure on the bio-energy groups using the biomass to set feedstock prices [per ton] at a ...

Despite the closure of the NewPage Mill in Port Hawkesbury, NS, Nova Scotia Power (NSP) says it will move forward with plans to build a $200 million 60 megawatt biomass cogeneration plant on site. The plan to build the facility was negotiated prior to the pulp mill’s closure in September 2011. “The initial plan called for Nova Scotia Power to fund the project, which would be built and operated by NewPage,” wrote the Chronicle Herald t...

As a leading European innovator biotechnology, Finland is putting a large amount of resources into research and development in order to move the country in the direction of a bioeconomy. A recent article published by Lab Product News provides several examples of this new Finnish initiative. A non-profit group named the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is one of the groups at the helm of the new movement. One of the biggest changes t...

The US Department of Energy has awarded Ameresco Inc. a sum of $795 million to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain a biomass cogeneration facility in South Carolina. This project marks the largest single-source energy performance savings contract (EPSC) that has ever been allocated by the US federal government. The energy generated from the plant will provide 30 per cent of the electricity needs of the 300-square mile Departmen...

During the Bio Energy Summit 2011 in New Delhi, Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said the Indian government would develop a national bio energy mission for the country. According to an article published by the India Education Diary, the focus on such a mission is a very important strategy for the country. “India has been projected to face perpetual shortfall in meeting the energy demand,” the media out...