Thursday, June 5, 2008 |
Editor: C.V. Clute editor@epoverviews.com Renewafuel plans $10,000,000 US Biomass fuel plant in Mich. (Ind. Report) Renewafuel LLC, a subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. plans to build a $10,000,000 US biomass fuel production facility near Marquette, Michigan. According to the company, the facility with a capacity of 150,000 tons of low-emission biofuel cubes per year from wood byproducts, corn stalks, grasses and energy crops, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of '09. Cleveland-based Cleveland-Cliffs may use the cubes as an alternative to burning coal at some of the mining company' Michigan operations. Renewafuel also indicated that it is considering the construction of a similar plant in Minn. as reported in our Apr. 16, '08 issue. (Source: Chicago Tribune, June 4, '08)
Primary Energy Ethanol plant faces snag in Australia (Int'l - Ind. Report) West Australian-based Primary Energy has suffered a setback in the construction of their planned $286,000,000 US ($300,000,000 AUS) ethanol plant in Kwinana after BP Australia has withdrawn their support. The project was expected to reach production in '08. According to BP Australia spokesperson, Chandran Vigneswaran, the project was no longer seen as commercially viable. The project still has support from government officials and the West Australia Agriculture Minister, Kim Chance, remains hopeful that another offtake customer will be found. (Source: The Land ( Australia), June 4, '08)
Sustainable Power signs $2 billion US financing deal (Ind. Report) Sustainable Power Corp. indicates it has signed an initial agreement with with L.Solé, S.A., a leading Spanish company responsible for building over 400 biomass powered facilities throughout Spain, the European Union, Russia and Latin America. Under the terms of the deal, L.Solé, S.A. agrees to provide up to $2 billion US in financing to fund the expansion of Sustainable Power's Baytown, Tex. facility, as well as other facilities worldwide utilizing Sustainable Power's technology. Upon completion, the expanded Baytown plant is expected to house 400 bio-reactors with a daily production of up to 3,000,000 gallons of biofuel, including jet fuel, diesel, and high-octane bio-gasoline meeting all ASTM specifications. (Source: Marketwire, June 2, '8)
"Ethanol is not the problem" (Ind. Report) While the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization's Summit continues, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer acknowledges that higher demand for corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel "has led to higher prices for those crops over the past couple of years. But we do not have a one-to-one relationship between higher prices for those commodities and what consumers are paying for foods at the retail level." According to Schafer, USDA economists estimate "that only 3 % of the more than 40 % increase in world food prices this year is due to the increased demand on corn for ethanol."
In addition, the leaders of the biofuels industries in Canada, the U.S. and Europe are appealing to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to consider the record price of oil on food prices worldwide. "Biofuels pay an important role in diversifying our fuel supply and moderating price," said Gordon Quaiattini, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. "If the UN is serious about taking on the food price crisis they must tackle the problem of record oil and gas prices."
Schafer also stresses that according to the International Energy Agency, biofuels production available to the U.S. and European markets over the last three years "has cut the consumption of crude oil by 1,000,000 barrels a day. At today's prices, that's a savings of more than $120,000,000 US per day." Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s climate chief indicated that "biofuels are a very important part of the solution" to high energy prices and climate change. (Source: Delta Farm Press, June 3, '08)
110,000,000 gpy Ethanol plant dedicated in Ohio (Ind. Report) The Andersons and Marathon Oil have commissioned their 110,000,000 gpy ethanol plant in Greenville, Ohio. The facility was constructed by The Andersons Marathon Ethanol LLC, a joint venture between The Andersons Ethanol Investment LLC, a subsidiary of The Andersons Inc., and Marathon Renewable Fuels LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil Corp. Previous details of the collaboration were covered in our Oct. 18, '06 issue. The plant has been operational since Feb. '08. (Source: Ethanol Producer, June 2, '08)
China Holdings to develop 250MW of waste Biomass power (Int'l - Ind. Report) China Holdings, Inc., a global diversified asset holdings company and U.S. headquartered subsidiaries, has announced the consolidated development of its 4 biomass waste to energy power plants with a total capacity of 200 MW. China Power, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, has completed the fuel analysis and feasibility study of a 50 MW TaiHu biomass power project in AnHui Province, China under the name, America-China Green Energy (TaiHu) Co. Ltd. It has also completed the fuel analysis and is currently undertaking a feasibility study for the 50 MW Ontnuite biomass power plant in Inner Mongolia, China. The company has also started the necessary studies for 50 MW biomass power plants in HuaXian and LongHua. These four projects have received the ncessary approvals from the Chinese Government. A fifth 50 MW project to be developed in Anhui province is currently awaiting approval. The company expects to begin production of these plants in 2010. (Source: biz.yahoo, May 29, '08)
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