In Finland, Fortum will be investing EUR 500m in a biofuel combined heat and power plant in Stockholm. The plant will replace some of the existing heat production with the less expensive biofuel alternative and increase the production of the plant by one third. Construction is supposed to be commissioned by 2016. More on the […]
In New Zealand, Meridian Energy sold its subsidiary Energy for Industry Ltd to Pioneer Generation for NZD$50m. Meridian is in the process of divesting its non-core assets. Fraser Jonker, Pioneer Generation’s chief executive, said that the acquisition of EFI, which is involved in process heat, biomass and biofuel sectors, was part of the company’s diversification […]
In South Africa, the sugar companies are continuing to put pressure on the government to regulate the price of ethanol to give an advantage to the biofuels industry. The Department of Energy spokesperson Maropeng Ramokgobathi predicted that a pricing regulation would be in place by the middle of 2013, and that the regulation would reflect […]
In Washington, Wendy’s chairman of the supply chain cooperative, Ed Anderson, has blamed the EPA Renewable Fuels Standard for $174m in food costs. He claimed that each restaurant pays $20,000-$30,000 more each year because food is so expensive “that it’s harder for restaurants to continue to grow and invest in new and remodeled restaurants,” said […]
In the Wall Street Journal, an article focused on the alternative energy market noted the downturn of Amyris’s stock after its IPO in 2010, decliing over 80% in two years. The article discussed the higher profit margins accessible by oil refiners after the introduction of new drilling techniques in conjunction with the increasingly tough market […]
In Saudi Arabia, Biomax Fuels and the Middle East Environment Protection Co (MEEP) have entered into a 50/50 joint venture to build the first biofuel plant in Saudi Arabia. The $40m plant will use cooking oil as a feedstock and is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2013. The chairman of MEEP has […]
In Cuba, Havana Energy has invested $50m into a Ciro Redondo sugar mill to convert marabou weed into biofuel. The investment was unannounced, but is believed to be one of the largest foreign investment deals in Cuba in recent years, providing jobs in addition to alternative energy. Harvesting the marabou weed will also help to […]
In Brazil, BP has committed to spending $350m to double the capacity of its Tropical ethanol project, which the company committed to do when it took full ownership of the project last year. The expansion will be complete by the end of 2014 or early 2015, and will develop 35,000 hectares of plantations to bring […]
In the Philippines, Green Future Innovations has opened its P6-billion integrated ethanol facility in Isabela. The plant intends to be operating at full capacity by this time next year, with the target for this year set at 80% of full capacity, or around 160,000 liters per day. The Japanese-backed company hopes to forge long-term power […]
In Canada, Methes Energies recently won the New Producer of the Year award from the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association for their work using their technology, available at the pipeline or full facility level, that enables a wide variety of feedstocks to be converted to biodiesel. Their Ontario facility has been recently commissioned for 13 mmgy […]
