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    Spanish company Ferry Group is to invest €42/US$55.2 million in a project for the production of biomass fuel pellets in Bulgaria. The 3-year project consists of establishing plantations of paulownia trees near the city of Tran. Paulownia is a fast-growing tree used for the commercial production of fuel pellets. Dnevnik - Feb. 20, 2007.

    Hungary's BHD Hõerõmû Zrt. is to build a 35 billion Forint (€138/US$182 million) commercial biomass-fired power plant with a maximum output of 49.9 MW in Szerencs (northeast Hungary). Portfolio.hu - Feb. 20, 2007.

    Tonight at 9pm, BBC Two will be showing a program on geo-engineering techniques to 'save' the planet from global warming. Five of the world's top scientists propose five radical scientific inventions which could stop climate change dead in its tracks. The ideas include: a giant sunshade in space to filter out the sun's rays and help cool us down; forests of artificial trees that would breath in carbon dioxide and stop the green house effect and a fleet futuristic yachts that will shoot salt water into the clouds thickening them and cooling the planet. BBC News - Feb. 19, 2007.

    Archer Daniels Midland, the largest U.S. ethanol producer, is planning to open a biodiesel plant in Indonesia with Wilmar International Ltd. this year and a wholly owned biodiesel plant in Brazil before July, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The Brazil plant is expected to be the nation's largest, the paper said. Worldwide, the company projects a fourfold rise in biodiesel production over the next five years. ADM was not immediately available to comment. Reuters - Feb. 16, 2007.

    Finnish engineering firm Pöyry Oyj has been awarded contracts by San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. to provide services for the first bioethanol plant in the Philippines. The aggregate contract value is EUR 10 million. The plant is to be build in the Province of San Carlos on the north-eastern tip of Negros Island. The plant is expected to deliver 120,000 liters/day of bioethanol and 4 MW of excess power to the grid. Kauppalehti Online - Feb. 15, 2007.

    In order to reduce fuel costs, a Mukono-based flower farm which exports to Europe, is building its own biodiesel plant, based on using Jatropha curcas seeds. It estimates the fuel will cut production costs by up to 20%. New Vision (Kampala, Uganda) - Feb. 12, 2007.

    The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to use 10% biodiesel in its fleet of public buses. The world's largest city is served by the Toei Bus System, which is used by some 570,000 people daily. Digital World Tokyo - Feb. 12, 2007.

    Fearing lack of electricity supply in South Africa and a price tag on CO2, WSP Group SA is investing in a biomass power plant that will replace coal in the Letaba Citrus juicing plant which is located in Tzaneen. Mining Weekly - Feb. 8, 2007.

    In what it calls an important addition to its global R&D capabilities, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is to build a new bioenergy research center in Hamburg, Germany. World Grain - Feb. 5, 2007.

    EthaBlog's Henrique Oliveira interviews leading Brazilian biofuels consultant Marcelo Coelho who offers insights into the (foreign) investment dynamics in the sector, the history of Brazilian ethanol and the relationship between oil price trends and biofuels. EthaBlog - Feb. 2, 2007.

    The government of Taiwan has announced its renewable energy target: 12% of all energy should come from renewables by 2020. The plan is expected to revitalise Taiwan's agricultural sector and to boost its nascent biomass industry. China Post - Feb. 2, 2007.

    Production at Cantarell, the world's second biggest oil field, declined by 500,000 barrels or 25% last year. This virtual collapse is unfolding much faster than projections from Mexico's state-run oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos. Wall Street Journal - Jan. 30, 2007.

    Dubai-based and AIM listed Teejori Ltd. has entered into an agreement to invest €6 million to acquire a 16.7% interest in Bekon, which developed two proprietary technologies enabling dry-fermentation of biomass. Both technologies allow it to design, establish and operate biogas plants in a highly efficient way. Dry-Fermentation offers significant advantages to the existing widely used wet fermentation process of converting biomass to biogas. Ame Info - Jan. 22, 2007.

    Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited is to build a biofuel production plant in the tribal belt of Banswara, Rajasthan, India. The petroleum company has acquired 20,000 hectares of low value land in the district, which it plans to commit to growing jatropha and other biofuel crops. The company's chairman said HPCL was also looking for similar wasteland in the state of Chhattisgarh. Zee News - Jan. 15, 2007.

    The Zimbabwean national police begins planting jatropha for a pilot project that must result in a daily production of 1000 liters of biodiesel. The Herald (Harare), Via AllAfrica - Jan. 12, 2007.

    In order to meet its Kyoto obligations and to cut dependence on oil, Japan has started importing biofuels from Brazil and elsewhere. And even though the country has limited local bioenergy potential, its Agriculture Ministry will begin a search for natural resources, including farm products and their residues, that can be used to make biofuels in Japan. To this end, studies will be conducted at 900 locations nationwide over a three-year period. The Japan Times - Jan. 12, 2007.

    Chrysler's chief economist Van Jolissaint has launched an arrogant attack on "quasi-hysterical Europeans" and their attitudes to global warming, calling the Stern Review 'dubious'. The remarks illustrate the yawning gap between opinions on climate change among Europeans and Americans, but they also strengthen the view that announcements by US car makers and legislators about the development of green vehicles are nothing more than window dressing. Today, the EU announced its comprehensive energy policy for the 21st century, with climate change at the center of it. BBC News - Jan. 10, 2007.

    The new Canadian government is investing $840,000 into BioMatera Inc. a biotech company that develops industrial biopolymers (such as PHA) that have wide-scale applications in the plastics, farmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Plant-based biopolymers such as PHA are biodegradable and renewable. Government of Canada - Jan. 9, 2007.


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Monday, February 12, 2007

European farmers move ahead with bioenergy plans, as UK farmers lag behind

Germany's Deutsche Landwirtschafts Gesellschaft (German Agricultural Society) has published the results of its 2006 Trendmonitor Survey of nearly 3,000 farmers in six European countries. The survey findings revealed marked differences in the type of bioenergy sources currently being used by farmers in individual countries and also their preferences for, and specific plans to adopt, bioenergy sources for future energy generation.

The countries surveyed by the DLG were the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and the UK. Farmers were asked to evaluate eleven different bioenergy sources in terms of their potential future contribution to their farming business and asked to detail any concerns. The survey offers an interesting overview of how this type of renewable energy is transforming agriculture:

Germany – Clear bioenergy leader
-The survey revealed continuing heavy investment in bioenergy, with activity facilitated by government schemes.
-Future planned bioenergy sources include cereal combustion (12 percent) and plant oil used as fuel (9 percent).
-Six percent of German farmers plan to start biogas production and this is in addition to the 8 percent who already have plants in operation.
- Compared to respondents from other countries in the survey, German farmers were furthest ahead in all areas with a large proportion already generating energy using bioenergy plants.
-Due to limited land area, the sourcing of bioenergy materials is quoted as the top obstacle to future progress.

France – Positive plans to invest in bioenergy activities
-Many respondents had positive plans to invest in and use seven of the eleven bioenergy sources listed in the survey.
-The most favoured bioenergy source was biodiesel (15 percent plant/ 20 percent usage) followed by rape seed (15 percent with plans).
-Other sources being planned were cereal combustion (16 percent); biogas (7 percent); photovoltaic (11 percent) and wind energy (10 percent).
-Only 2-4 percent of French respondents were operating bioenergy plants, the most popular source being wood.
-Over half the French farmers surveyed currently use wood as a heating source and a further six percent have further plans in this area.
-In France, construction and running-costs are the main areas of concern:
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

UK – Bioenergy usage low but wind energy dominates future plans
-Wind energy was cited as the major planned source of renewable energy with 12 percent quoting this.
-The UK survey revealed that it had the lowest activity in nine of the eleven bioenergy sources with just one percent already having operational bioenergy plants.
-The two bioenergy sources currently used were wood for heating (16 percent) and biodiesel (3 percent). By comparison with other countries, both these usage rates are low.
-The major concern expressed by over a third of respondents was lack of experience, followed by concern over fixed costs.

Poland and Hungary – Biodiesel and plant oil fuels actively considered
-Polish and Hungarian farmers most frequently cited plans to use biodiesel and also plant oil for fuel. Both these bioenergy sources showed a positive trend.

25 percent of Czech farmers plan biogas plants
-Of all survey respondents, Czech farmers declared the most positive investment intent in biogas (25 percent).
-The main concerns expressed by respondents in these three countries were technology, financing and lack of experience.

The DLG 2006 Trendmonitor survey was conducted in 2006 using telephone interview techniques. It was published in view of the Agritechnica exhibition, organised by the DLG. At Agritechnica, the world’s number one exhibition for agricultural machinery, which will be held between 14-17 November 2007 in Hannover, bioenergy will be a key feature. A Bioenergy Center will be including companies and organisations presenting technologies, products and services from the field of bioenergy.

Having invested €6.5 billion in 2005 alone, Germany is the world leader in bioenergy production technology, making it the ideal location to present related products and services.

posted by Biopact team at 12:42 PM  

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