IN THE NEWS

ReGenerate Purchases Albany Green Energy

ReGenerate Energy Holdings, LLC , the recently formed joint venture between Ember Infrastructure and ReEnergy Biomass Operations LLC, has completed the acquisition of Albany Green Energy, a biomass heat-and-power facility located in Albany, Ga. from a subsidiary of Exelon Generation Co. LLC.

The Albany Green Energy facility, also known as “AGE,” uses woody biomass from mill residue, forestry waste, recycling and agricultural waste sourced within a 75mile radius of the facility to provide 50 MW of electricity to Georgia

Power, process steam to the nearby Procter & Gamble paper products facility, and process steam that is used to generate electricity for the nearby U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base. The facility’s 25 employees will join the ReEnergy team.

“We are very pleased to bring Albany Green Energy onto the ReGenerate platform as we continue to build a best-in-class bioenergy business,” comments Elena Savostia nova, Managing Partner of Em ber. “ReGenerate will leverage the deep expertise and experience of the Re Energy and Ember teams to manage and optimize this important facility.”

With the acquisition, ReGenerate owns 137 MW of operating biomass power generation across three facilities, including ReEnergy Stratton and ReEnergy Livermore Falls, both located in Maine. ReGenerate plans to continue the expansion of its platform across North America to deliver sustainable bioenergy products to utilities, corporations and other partners.

“We particularly look forward to joining the robust bioeconomy in the state of Georgia, where biomass energy is embraced as a key component of the state’s renewable energy portfolio and represents half of its total renewable electricity generation,” says Larry Richardson, CEO of ReEnergy Holdings LLC. “In acquiring Albany Green Energy, we are focused on achieving the high level of safety, environmental, and operating performance that we are proud to have achieved at the other facilities in the ReGenerate and ReEnergy portfolios.”

Ember and ReEnergy formed ReGenerate in April 2021. ReEnergy, founded in 2008, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ReEnergy Holdings LLC, which, in addition to the Maine facilities, owns ReEnergy Black River, a 60 MW biomass power facility located on the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum installation near Watertown, NY, and ReSource Waste Services LLC, which operates five facilities in New England that recycle construction and demolition waste materials.

Ember, founded in 2018, is a New York-based private equity firm delivering capital solutions to businesses and assets seeking to reduce carbon intensity and enhance resource efficiency.

The Albany operation started up in 2017.

ReEnergy facility at Fort Drum

Bagasse-Based Pellet Facility Is Possible

Delta Biofuel CEO Philip Keating is evaluating Iberia Parish, Loui siana for a $70 million residual sugarcane fiber-based pellet plant. It would create 126 direct jobs in the Acadiana region.

Keating says Delta has secured long-term supplies of feedstock bagasse, which can be processed into pellets and used alongside, or in lieu of, industrial wood pellets in power generation. Bagasse fuel pellets are lower cost alternatives to typical wood pellets, Keating says, and also result in greater reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, or GHGs. The Jeanerette facility would produce up to 300,000 metric tons of bagasse fuel pellets annually.

The company would source all excess bagasse from four nearby sugar mills in Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin parishes. Additionally, Delta has engaged European and Asian energy production facilities for multi-year commitments to purchase the fuel pellets.

“Our bagasse pellet manufacturing plant will provide a sustainable, long-term solution for the sugar mills by utilizing all excess bagasse produced each harvest. This will not only reduce cost and liability for the mills, but will eliminate methane emis sions from the discarded ba gasse that you can see in huge piles around the state,” Keating says. “We see Louisiana and its sugar industry as a terrific and reliable source of biomass for alternative fuel production.”

The company plans to locate the greenfield facility on 16 acres near U.S. Highway 90 in Jeanerette, near one of its bagasse suppliers, Enterprise Sugar Mill. Groundwork for the facility would begin this September with completion expected in September 2022. Founded in 2019, Delta Biofuel is a whollyowned startup within Tasso Renewable Energy.

Louisiana Economic Development first began working with the company in December 2020. To secure the pellet plant in Jeanerette, the state offered Delta a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart—a workforce development program. The package also includes a performance-based grant of $1 million as a reimbursement for infrastructure improvement expenditures, subject to the company reaching specified investment and payroll benchmarks.

“This announcement is an exciting one for the Acadiana region,” says One Acadiana President &

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CEO Troy Wayman. “We look forward to welcoming Delta Biofuel’s operations to Iberia Parish as they make a great impact on the agribusiness industries of Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and beyond. Congratulations to our partners in Iberia Parish on this great success.”

Drax Satellite Mills Go With BE&E

Drax Group has chosen Biomass Engineering & Equipment to supply material handling, layout engineering, and mechanical installation for its three recently announced pellet plants in Arkansas. BE&E will manufacture bulk receiving bins, disc screeners, SMART conveyors, SMART containers and covered pellet load-out stations. Also included in BE&E’s scope is the procurement of dust control systems and pellet silos.

The three plants are each expected to produce 120,000 tonnes of pellets per year from saw mill resi dues, supporting Drax’s plans to increase self-supply for its power station in the UK. Drax uses biomass to generate low-carbon renewable electricity at its power station in North Yorkshire.

Construction has begun on the first of these plants, and commissioning is expected in October.

“BE&E has been very accommodating to the design process,” says Craig Beckham, PE with Hunt, Guillot & Associates, who worked on the project with BE&E. “The (BE&E) equipment is versatile and easily adjustable in length and orientation. It accommodates the fit and layout design you need.”

BE&E President and CEO Dane Floyd comments, “This has been an exciting opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and expertise. The team we’ve gathered to take on projects of this scale is unmatched in the industry, and we’re confident Drax will benefit from our work. We look forward to future opportunities for turnkey pellet plants.”

Rendering of a satellite mill Drax Biomass plans to build in the U.S. Southeast. Biomass Engineering & Equipment designed the layout and is supplying material handling systems.

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Senators Urge EPA To Get With Biomass

U.S. Senators Susan Collins (RME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) have written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to urge the Biden administration to address languishing biomass applications under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program. The letter was co-signed by senators Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (DNH), Tammy Baldwin (R-WI) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).

Allowing renewable electricity made from biomass to qualify for the RFS program if it is used to power electric vehicles would level the playing field among fuel sources. It would also enable biomass power plants to generate and sell credits under the RFS program to refiners that must meet national renewable fuel targets, according to the participants.

“Farmers, foresters, local governments and small business owners nationwide have been adversely impacted by the inability to participate in the RFS due to agency inaction on renewable facility registration applications involving approved fuel pathways and petitions for approval of additional fuel pathways,” the sena tors wrote. “Biogas, biomass and waste-to-energy electricity producers need the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to approve their participation in this important program,” the letter says.

The senators underscored that the production of cellulosic biofuel elec tricity from RFS-approved feedstocks helps drive the growth and development of sustainable agriculture, forestry and the rural economy, and it supports the reduction of green house gas emissions. The lawmakers urged the EPA Administrator to make addressing the obstacles that limit biomass power generation and forest-based industries a top priority. The senators’ bipartisan letter mirrors concerns shared by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to address the backlog of advanced biofuel registrations to allow more fuel producers to participate in the RFS.

The senators concluded their letter, “Approving these backlogged applications and petitions, which the EPA has existing authority to do, will help the U.S. advance its clean energy goals while supporting local economies in rural America.”

Community Awards Enviva’s Local Impact

Enviva, the world’s leading producer of industrial wood pellets, has received the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce’s Corporate Business of the Year award. Enviva was selected for its commitment to manufacturing excellence, its outstanding community outreach, along with its support of several existing educational and non-profit partnerships within the region.

Over the last year Enviva has spon sored and supported several county initiatives including the new Northampton Career and Technical Academy of Innovation, which is slated to open later this fall; the Halifax Community College’s Foundation, which supports student scholarships; and the construction of North ampton County’s new walking trail and playground in Rich Square, which will provide local residents an inclusive community place to enjoy and recreate outdoors.

“Enviva has been a staple of this community since they began their operations here in 2013 and we are honored to present them with this award,” says Judy Collier, Executive Director of the Northampton, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

In Northampton County, Enviva employs 97 full-time workers and has invested close to $200 million in the Northampton pellet plant.

Greenvolt Buys Tilbury Power Plant

Altri reported its wholly-owned unit, Greenvolt, has reached an agreement, together with funds managed by the Equitix Group, for the acquisition of Tilbury Green Power Holdings LTD for 246.5 million pounds. Ownership will be 51% to Greenvolt and 49% to the funds managed by Equitix.

Tilbury’s 43.6 MW biomass power plant is located in the Port of Tilbury, UK.

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Drax Sharpens Focus On Carbon Capture

Drax Group and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd., part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have reportedly agreed to a long-term contract for Drax to use MHI’s carbon capture technology, the Advanced KM CDR process, in what would be the larg est deployment of negative emis sions in power generation anywhere in the world.

The contract will see Drax license MHI’s carbon capture solvent, KS-21, to capture CO2 at its power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, UK.

Drax is already the largest decarbonization project in Europe, having converted its power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, reducing its emissions by more than 85%. By deploying BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) technology, Drax aims to go further, becoming

Left to right, Kentaro Hosomi, Chief Regional Officer EMEA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI); Carl Clayton, Head of BECCS, Drax Group; Jenny Blyth, Project Analyst, Drax Group, Drax Power Station, North Yorkshire

carbon negative by 2030.

The first BECCS unit at Drax could be operational as soon as 2027, supporting thousands of jobs across the North of England as soon as 2024, and capturing and storing at least 8 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030.

Drax is the first company to sign a contract to deploy carbon capture technology at scale in the UK. The project combines MHI’s proven and world-leading technology with offshore geological storage under the North Sea, helping the UK achieve its target to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035. As part of the agreement, MHI plans to locate its core CCS team at the company’s European headquarters in London. MHI is also looking at ways to strengthen its supply chain, including the potential production of its proprietary solvent in the UK.

Drax has already successfully trialed MHI’s carbon capture technology in a pilot that started in 2020 to test two of MHI’s proprietary solvents (KS-1and KS-21). l Drax also announced it has entered into a partnership with Bechtel to identify opportunities to construct new BECCS power plants around the world. Bechtel is a leader in engineering, construction and project management.

Bechtel will focus its study on strategically important regions for BECCS plants, including North America and Western Europe, as well as reviewing how to optimize the design of a BECCS plant using state-of-the-art engineering to maximize efficiency, performance and cost.

Joint Venture Gets CoalSwitch Going

Active Energy, a London, UK based biomass renewable energy business, reports that production of its CoalSwitch product has commenced at its facility in Ashland, Maine, following the rapid construction of the 5 tonne per hour production facility.

Deliveries of the first CoalSwitch fuel to PacifiCorp’s Hunter Valley power plant in Castle Dale, Utah were commencing for use in a testing program. The CoalSwitch production at Ashland is part of the joint venture between AEG and Player Design Inc,.

The Ashland facility was granted an initial permit for the production of 1,000 tons of CoalSwitch. Emissions data will be supplied to the state of Maine for analysis. The facility will then apply to the state to extend the terms of the permit to enable the facility to expand production to up to 35,000 tonnes of CoalSwitch per year.

CoalSwitch is a “drop-in” bio-

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mass feedstock that can co-fire with coal or replace up to 100% of the coal in power stations without requiring plant modification, according to AEG. AEG’s technology converts residuals from lumber operations as well as residuals from for estry operations into CoalSwitch, which burns at temperatures nearly identical to coal, but cleaner and more efficiently while producing less ash.

PacifiCorp is the largest grid operator in the Western U.S., serving energy demands of 1.9 million customers.

Active Energy Group is also developing a commercial production facility in Lumberton, NC.

New OSB Facility Coming To Minnesota

Huber Engineered Woods LLC (HEW), a subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corp., announced it will build a new oriented strandboard (OSB) facility in Cohasset, Minn. The manufacturing facility is projected to provide more than 150 direct new jobs, while contributing growth opportunities in adjacent local industries including timber and trucking.

The new HEW manufacturing facility will be located on more than 400 acres and will feature some of the most advanced processes and technologies available.

Endowment Launches TimberHauling.com

U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities announced the official launch of TimberHauling.com, a national buyers’ group that provides savings on products and services to nearly 10,000 independent small trucking and hauling businesses.

The TimberHauling.com platform will help the sector move together as a unified market rather than thousands of independent producers. The timber harvest and hauling sector of the forestry industry is the strained link in the U.S.-based forest products value chain. This sector is continually dealing with a range of chal lenges, including inclement weather, mill quotas, labor shortages, high fuel and insurance costs, and high equipment costs—both upfront and ongoing.

For a modest annual membership fee, members enjoy discounts and savings on parts and services. TimberHauling.com gives loggers national buying power and strength they have never had to shore up and further unify the sector.

“The Endowment focuses on opportunities when others can’t or won’t,” according to Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the Carolina Loggers Assn. (CLA). “Developing a national platform that will save money for independent loggers and haulers will make them more cost-

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competitive and efficient.”

This group also strengthens the capacity of state and regional associations to deliver services. The program is being piloted first in partnership with state logging associations in North Carolina (CLA), South Carolina (South Carolina Timber Producers Assn.), and Virginia (Virginia Loggers Assn.).

“The Endowment is using our sector-wide vision, risk capital, and bridge-building competencies to build an ‘Amazon-like’ model to drive savings to individual timber hauling firms,” says Pete Madden, President & CEO of the Endowment. “TimberHauling.com is part of our Initiative 2020 Vision that mandates strategic and targeted investments to support the development of traditional forest products markets to retain and grow existing forest-based economies.”

A variety of companies have already joined the platform: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; MHC Ken worth; Setliff Law P.C.; Schwab Brothers Hydraulics; TCS Fuel Cards; North American Supply; and Cadence Petroleum Group. More companies and services are expected to be added as TimberHauling.com grows. Currently, TimberHauling.com is offering a free six-month “test drive” membership that can offer cost savings on hoses, tires, equipment, legal expenses, oil and fuel. Visit timberhauling.com and click on the pricing tab to learn more.

Forest Service Names Moore As Chief

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Randy Moore will serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service. Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.

Current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen is retiring and will collaborate with Moore on the leadership transition.

Moore has been serving as Regional Forester in the Pacific South west Region in California since 2007 where he has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres. Additionally, he oversees State and Private Forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.

Previously Moore served as the Re gional Forester for the Eastern Region. More in the news ➤ 22

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