Forest Bioenergy Review & PIM Renewable Energy Winter '22

Valmet’s climate program

Forward to a carbon neutral future

100 percent carbon neutral production for all our pulp by 2030. We believe that technology plays a key role in mitigating climate change and global warming in the transition to a carbon neutral

We have estimated that around 95 percent our value chain's environmental impact is caused when our customers use our technologies over their entire life cycles. In our climate program − Forward to a carbon neutral future − we have set ambitious targets to enable 100 percent carbon neutral production for all our pulp and paper customers and to improve the energy efficiency of our current offering by 20 percent by 2030.

Already today we offer an extensive range of solutions for reducing CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts.

Explore how on www.valmet.com/climateprogram

Welcome to an update for Forest Bioenergy Review (FBR) as we approach 2023. The energy sector globally has been forced to come to terms with a rapidly-changing marketplace, resulting in a desire to ensure energy security as a matter of urgency. Diversity in terms of replacing fossil fuels with renewables remains, however, very much dependant on the availability of alternative supply resources.

As FBR has developed over the years, the magazine has also expanded its coverage to meet the demands of its readership to now include wind, solar and hydropower while maintaining its original base in sustainable biomass. Our continued collaboration with PIM Renewable Energy will again continue next year, which further expands our global reach to those who can specify or influence purchases in the global energy provision sector.

Our annual reader re-registration was completed on 7 October and now exceeds 20,000 individuals. The features scheduled for 2023 include some of those areas of interest that readers have requested and these have been incorporated accordingly. It is only through our interaction with our readers that we can help to provide them with news and articles that fulfil their needs, as well as those who support our efforts via advertising.

To find out more about taking a pro-active role within FBR, please contact me at: pulppaperlogistics@virginmedia.com

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Gas engine for Japan’s power mix

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply the gasfuelled engines for a new 100 MW Japanese power plant. The fast-starting engines will provide the grid balancing and peaking capabilities needed as Japan increases its share of energy from renewable sources. This is one of the pioneering cases in Japan where a major power producer and supplier has opted for gas engine technology for a utility-scale power plant with the main purpose of hedging market price fluctuations and the plant will also enable participation in the

recently launched cross-regional balancing market. The order was booked in Wärtsilä’s order intake in July, 2022.

Japan is committed to addressing climate change through investing in sustainable electrical power generation. The country has set a target to have its share of renewable energy within the power mix increased to 36-38% by 2030. The new cross-regional balancing market in Japan was launched in 2021 by the governmental authority. The purpose of the balancing market is to bridge the gap between energy demand

and supply during times when much variable renewable energy is being introduced into the system.

By being able to reach full output within minutes of start-up, the Wärtsilä engine technology delivers the flexibility needed to compensate for fluctuations in the supply from wind and solar.

“The trend towards sustainable power production is very strong in Japan and we are very pleased to support this trend with our flexible engine technology. Wärtsilä is a leader in shaping the decarbonisation of the energy industry by optimising

Carbon capture options for Pembroke Power Station

RWE, one of the UK’s leading electricity generators, has signed a contract with Fluor – a global engineering and construction firm that specialises in carbon capture projects. The project will investigate the feasibility of

retrofitting post-combustion capture of carbon at Pembroke Power Station. The study is expected to take six months, completing in early 2023, and is part of RWE’s ambitious decarbonisation plans centred on the Pembroke Net

Zero Centre (PNZC), which brings together knowledge and expertise from across RWE’s offshore wind, gas-fired generation and hydrogen businesses to develop green energy solutions for both Pembrokeshire and the South Wales region. This is

Wärtsilä 34SG engine generating sets in an engine hall (picture courtesy of Wärtsilä).

power systems and this latest order represents one more important step along this journey,” said Sushil Purohit, President, Wärtsilä Energy and EVP, Wärtsilä.

The new plant will operate with ten Wärtsilä 34SG gas engines. It will replace a 100 MW combined cycle gas turbine that was formerly located on the project site.

More information: www.wartsila.com

the second project to come out of PNZC, which launched earlier this year.

This report will form part of the analysis required for RWE to participate in the UK Government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) cluster sequencing process. This was a commitment to deploy CCUS in a minimum of two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s and four by 2030 at the latest in support of the UK’s transition to net zero.

Driving down emissions in Colombia

Smurfit Kappa, world leader in paper-based packaging, is investing almost USD100 million in a sustainable biomass boiler which will reduce its global Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by approximately 6%.

The ambitious project is the latest example of the circularity that permeates every aspect of the company’s operations. Smurfit Kappa has successfully implemented biomass boilers at several other locations including the Nervion, Piteå and Sangüesa paper mills in Europe.

The boiler, which will be constructed at its paper mill in Yumbo, Colombia, will replace the fossil fuels currently used with different types of organic waste to generate cleaner energy. The organic waste will be comprised of pine and eucalyptus bark from the company’s own forestry plantations, waste from its wood treatment plant, and ashes and sludge generated during the paper-manufacturing process.

When the new boiler is operational, the mill will significantly reduce the site’s fossil fuel usage and deliver

significant cost savings.

Laurent Sellier, CEO of Smurfit Kappa in the Americas, said: “This investment reinforces our commitment to Colombia, a strategic growth market, and to our sustainability targets. The commissioning of this state-of-the-art biomass boiler is a further material step towards our 2030 and net zero emissions targets and to protecting the environment and creating a greener world.”

Alvaro J. Henao, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Colombia, added: “The

construction of this boiler reflects the circularity that is the foundation of our sustainability strategy and runs through all of our operations, as we are finding another use for our own waste. It is also a very important project for the region, as it will contribute to expanding the use of renewable energies and is a timely response to the increased global demand for paper.”

The new boiler is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. More information: www.smurfitkappa.com

RWE is developing options for the decarbonisation of its 2.2 gigawatt gas-fired Power Station in Pembroke, among them postcombustion carbon capture and the introduction of hydrogen as a clean fuel. Pembroke’s South Wales location provides it with the unique advantages of being within an industrial hub and creating collaboration opportunities with partners from within the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC),

who together cover the full low carbon value chain, including – from the necessary ship transport and storage of CO2 to the supply of clean hydrogen.

Richard Little, Director of the PNZC, said: “RWE is committed to decarbonising its business by 2040, a date that in the UK fits nicely alongside the Government’s ambition for a net zero power sector by 2035. Through our PNZC, we will create a hub for our green

energy projects, including the development of floating wind in the Celtic Sea, the development of a hydrogen electrolyser and decarbonisation of Pembroke Power station through a mixture of carbon capture and hydrogen fuel. We are already working with South Wales businesses to help them meet their decarbonisation targets, while supporting Welsh Government to achieve its ambitions for Net Zero”.

Julian Marschewski from RWE

Generation’s Strategic Development Department commented, “Kicking off this technical feasibility study with Fluor is an important step towards creating tangible options for our lighthouse decarbonisation project at Pembroke. The experience gained will also give us a better understanding on how to decarbonise RWE’s wider fleet of gas-fired assets”.

More information: www.rwe.com

World’s largest green hydrogen integrated project

In a joint press statement issued in Berlin and Perth on 5 October, 2022, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and Tree Energy Solutions (TES) have agreed to develop the world’s largest green hydrogen integrated project to help Europe mitigate its current energy and climate crisis and to bring green molecules to Europe.

c The first phase of this partnership is to jointly develop and invest in the supply of 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen, with final locations being currently agreed. FID target 2023

c FFI and TES have agreed terms for FFI to make an equity investment of €30 million to become a strategic shareholder in TES and to invest €100 million for a significant stake in the construction of the TES import terminal in Wilhelmshaven,

Germany.

c Until now there has been a critical missing link in the green hydrogen supply chain to Europe.

c First deliveries of green hydrogen into the TES terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany are expected to take place in 2026.

c The jointly-developed green hydrogen projects will produce enough green renewable energy to supply 1.5 million households.

c This initiative leverages FFI’s marketleading expertise in developing large-scale renewable energy production and TES’s pioneering business model, which combines hydrogen with recycled CO2 to create an efficient, circular, closed net-zero, energy loop.

c Through this announcement, FFI joins a prestigious group of

international partners that are strategic investors in TES, including E.ON, HSBC, UniCredit and Zodiac Maritime.

The partnership will see the companies work collaboratively to address the significant dual challenges of energy security and energy transition. Together, FFI and TES will develop industrial scale green hydrogen production globally, with an initial focus on Australia, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Furthermore, they will combine FFI’s market-leading expertise in developing large scale renewable energy production with TES’s unique sustainable business model and access to the European green hydrogen market.

To provide immediate energy

security for Europe, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection recently selected TES to jointly develop and implement Germany’s fifth Floating Storage Regasification Unit in Wilhelmshaven. In parallel, the TES terminal will serve as the primary entry point for clean, safe, affordable and abundant energy in Europe, as well as a catalyst for a circular carbon economy. TES will import green hydrogen in the form of renewable natural gas, which is economical, easy to transport and store, as it can leverage existing global energy infrastructure along the value chain. The CO2 will serve as a carrier – when the gas reaches Germany, it will be captured and transported back to the supply location, where the hydrogen is produced, in a circular, closed-loop zero-carbon system.

This new collaboration with FFI demonstrates TES’s commitment to make its contribution to the global energy transition by accelerating the import and production of green molecules as a lower cost alternative to today’s fossil fuels. TES offers a unique model to convert large amounts of renewable electrons from sunny and windy locations into the most affordable renewable gas.

Marco Alverà, CEO of TES, said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership, which marks a new milestone in delivering scalable, affordable, green hydrogen, as well as securing renewable energy production. This agreement is another stepping stone in building TES as one of the leading hydrogen players in the world to accelerate the energy transition with the most cost-effective, bankable

and scalable green alternative to today’s fossil fuels”.

Dr Andrew Forrest, Executive Chairman and Founder of Fortescue Future Industries, stated: “The UK and Europe urgently need green energy solutions to replace fossil fuels. This important investment will help to do exactly that. Not in 2050, in four years from now”.

Mark Hutchinson, CEO of FFI,

added: “This investment supports the delivery of Fortescue’s supply agreement with E.ON, Germany’s largest energy distributor. In March this year, we announced we would supply five million tonnes of green hydrogen to Germany, commencing from middecade”.

More information: www.fortescue.com/ www.tes.h2.com

Energy storage project commissioned

Wärtsilä and partners at the site opening of the 24 MW/48 MWh GIGA Buffalo battery in the Netherlands to provide grid stability.

The technology group Wärtsilä has completed the commissioning of its first energy storage project in The Netherlands, which is the country’s largest system to date. The company was joined by His Excellency Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy, and Ruud Nijs, CEO of GIGA Storage BV, to celebrate the milestone during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 6 October. The facility, called the GIGA Buffalo battery, is a 24 MW/48 MWh energy storage system consisting of Wärtsilä’s Gridsolv

Quantum and GEMS Digital Energy Platform.

The GIGA Buffalo battery is colocated with wind and solar assets at the Wageningen University & Research test centre in Lelystad. It provides Eneco, the leading energy provider in the Netherlands, with the energy capacity necessary to alleviate intermittency from renewables and regulate energy frequency while adding reliability to the grid. It also improves revenues by optimising the value of the renewable assets and providing capacity that can be

dispatched during peak demand.

“We’re pleased to see this landmark project complete construction and come online. Battery storage is critical for the stabilisation of the country’s electric grid and imperative for reaching our clean energy goals,” announced Ruud Nijs.

The Dutch government has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030 and a 95% reduction by 2050. Recent reports indicate that The Netherlands will need between 29 and 54

Forest Research publishes inventory

The latest National Forest Inventory (NFI) report was recently published by Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission and Great Britain’s principal organisation for

forestry and tree-related research.

The forecasts in the report estimate how British woodlands may change over time. The NFI forecasts examine different aspects

of the future state of the woodland according to alternative future management scenarios.

One key aspect of NFI forecasts is timber availability, with the forecasts

gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2050 to support the increase in renewable energy generation and ensure reliability as the country meets its decarbonisation goals.

“We celebrate another successful energy storage deployment globally and our first here in The Netherlands. Congratulations to the Netherlands on this victory in their transition toward a net-zero future,” added Jens Norrgård, Director, Europe, Wärtsilä Energy.

More information: www.wartsila.com

including the corresponding standing volume remaining in woodlands and the increment.

More information: www.forestresearch.gov.uk

Start-up for Brazilian gasification plant

Klabin has successfully started up a biomass gasification plant at the Puma Unit, located in Ortigueira/PR, Brazil, with a new biomass treatment line supplied by Andritz.

The gasification plant enables 100% fossil-free operation of the lime kiln by replacing all heavy fuel oil currently burned in one of the mill’s lime kilns, significantly reducing the Klabin pulp mill’s carbon footprint.

The main scope of provision by Andritz included: 51 MW gasification plant; belt dryer; multi-fuel lime kiln burner; biomass handling equipment;

and a building to house the electricity supply.

The company was chosen as the gasification supplier because of successful previous references and was also the main supplier of Klabin’s Puma I and II projects, which were started up successfully in 2016 and 2021, respectively.

Andritz gasification plants are part of the company’s CircleToZero initiative, which includes new technologies aimed at optimising pulp mill side streams.

More information: www.andritz.com

The answer to Europe’s energy challenges

Over 1,100 participants, from over 40 countries, gathered in Berlin on 18 July to herald the dawn of the geothermal decade. Geothermal is the only solution that can claim to be the backbone of the EU’s response to the energy crisis, as well as its transition to climate neutrality because it is the only baseload renewable energy supplier of heating, cooling, and electricity, plus sustainably-sourced lithium.

Many countries, cities, companies and even Heads of State are turning to geothermal to meet their energy needs. President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Elysée Palace will convert to geothermal later this year whilst cities all over Europe are planning for largescale investments in geothermal district heating to meet their local decarbonisation targets. Policymakers must make the permitting process more efficient and transparent; support all aspects of workforce development and importantly; send clear signals to supply chains by detailed national roadmaps, with appropriately-structured financial support mechanisms to accelerate investments.

Miklos Antics, EGEC President, emphasised: “Geothermal must be prioritised to avert the worst of the energy crisis”. He added, “Governments must urgently set the framework conditions for geothermal to become

the mainstream solution”.

New investors are entering the geothermal sector; exploring pathways to invest in new or ongoing projects, or acquiring existing plants as part of their portfolio. This arrival of new actors is great news for the geothermal industry demonstrating its growth potential, which is even more attractive in times of unstable oil and gas prices and delivery chains.

Helge-Uve Braun, President of BVG,

stated: “Science and engineering fundamentals are the basis for the transformation process. They should be positively accompanied by policies at EU, federal and state level, with an acceleration of approval procedures, financial support and technologyfriendly communication to enable the transformation process!”

The heating and cooling sector accounted for more than half of the new projects commissioned in Europe

in 2020. Geothermal heat pump sales reached record growth levels: 73% in France; 59% in Austria; 35% in Belgium; and 10% in Germany. With deep and shallow geothermal we see that Europe is about to tap this reserve energy treasure and become a role model for the urgent transition to climate-friendly energy.

More information: www.europeangeothermal energycongress.eu

Andritz gasifiers enable entirely fossil-free operation of lime kilns (picture courtesy of Klabin).

Green hydrogen projects in South Africa

On 20 October, ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), a government-owned development finance institution, signed an extensive memorandum of understanding (MoU), exploring a partnership in the development of green hydrogen and its derivatives in the Republic of South Africa.

This partnership coincided with the state visit of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The agreement was digitally signed by: Paddy Padmanathan, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power; Clive Turton, Chief Investment Officer of ACWA Power; Rian Coetzee, Head of Industry Planning and Project Development at IDC; and Russell Wallace, Manager of Legal Services at IDC, with agreement

copies exchanged at a gathering attended by executive dignitaries. This is the first agreement of its kind between ACWA Power and the IDC, but the parties have previously collaborated for equity in a renewable energy plant in South Africa. The

Disc saw felling head

The latest forestry attachment from John Deere is the FR27 disc saw felling head. Now standard on the John Deere 953M and 959M feller buncher models, and available as an upgrade on the 853M, 859M and 903M feller bunchers, this felling head attachment has a larger cut capacity compared to previous models. Building upon the success of the FR24B, John Deere has successfully designed the durable FR27 as a solution aimed to increase productivity on the job.

The FR27 Disc Saw Felling Head is designed to take on a variety of timber applications, from large single stem cutting to mid-sized accumulation and boasts an all-new design and overall rebranding from previous John Deere felling head models. In addition, this robust, high rotation felling head features excellent cut and accumulation capacity, offering top-of-the-line productivity compared to previous models. The FR27 features an impressive cutting capacity of up to

27.2 in and an accumulation capacity of up to 7.5 ft, improving capability in the forest.

Building upon the success of the field proven FR24B, the FR27 features

potential value of this MoU is estimated at US$10 billion. ACWA Power will function as the developer for green hydrogen and its derivatives in South Africa, with the IDC acting as co-developer and equity partner in the proposed projects.

South Africa has a net zero target for 2050 and plans to become a significant producer and exporter of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Accordingly, the government has mandated the IDC to lead the development and commercialisation of the green hydrogen economy. The IDC, in partnership with the Green Hydrogen Panel, is in the process of finalising the South African Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy.

The IDC is currently supporting the development of several catalytic projects in the green hydrogen value chain, including green hydrogen and ammonia production, mobility projects and decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors using green hydrogen. IDC is also exploring bespoke funding solutions with cofunders for green hydrogen projects in South Africa.

More information: www.acwapower.com

an updated frame and wrist design, which includes a tall horn, long harvesting arms and continuous hose routings that promote easy machine clean-out. The hardened saw housing

wear plates are now standard and offer improved saw housing wear resistance.

More information: www.johndeere.com

Fortum launches nuclear feasibility study

Atwo-year feasibility study to explore prerequisites for new nuclear projects has been initiated by Fortum of Espoo, Finland. As part of the study, Fortum will examine commercial, technological and societal implications, including political, legal and regulatory, conditions both for small modular reactors (SMRs) and conventional large reactors. The study’s geographic focus is Finland and Sweden.

“The goals of energy independence, security of supply and carbon neutrality are challenges facing our entire society. We want to find out under which conditions we could meet them with nuclear power generation, which is known to be reliable and CO2-free,” said Simon-Erik Ollus, Executive Vice President, Generation Division at Fortum.

With the current uncertainty in the energy market, ventures in the nuclear industry will most likely involve partnership constellations. Partnerships may be formed e.g. between nuclear generating and district heating companies, industrial off-takers of power and heat for whom competitive energy supply is of increasingly strategic importance and nuclear utilities or start-up companies and established utilities with nuclear competence. Thus, the feasibility study will also explore the potential for service business offerings for new projects in Europe and hydrogen for

industrial applications.

“The challenges related to new nuclear are well-known. Achieving competitive construction times and costs are must-win battles for our industry. In this feasibility study, we aim to explore novel partnerships, new business models and technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), which are promising in terms of taking nuclear power forward to future generations,” explained Laurent Leveugle, who is

leading the nuclear feasibility study.

Since the feasibility study will also take a deep look at the ‘new build’ process, such as progress of planning, siting and licensing, the work group’s intention is to engage the essential external stakeholders, such as political decision-makers, civil servants and nuclear safety authorities in Finland and Sweden, in active dialogue.

Fortum has agreed to fully divest Uniper to the German State and is

Spanish project launched by Matrix Renewables

Recently announced by Matrix Renewables, the TPG Rise-backed renewable energy platform, was the launch of its Olivares Solar Plant’s commercial operations.

The Olivares PV project, which has been under construction for the past year in the Spanish province of Jaen (Andalusia), opens with a capacity of 50 MW. It is the first of

Matrix Renewables’ plants in Spain to become commercially operational and will deliver enough new clean electricity to meet the needs of around 30,000 households annually, avoiding emissions of over 44,000 tons of CO2 eq per year.

The construction of the Olivares PV project created over 300 jobs and the execution and operation of the

project will provide robust biodiversity protection and management measures, particularly with regards to birds and other wildlife. The plant has a ten-year PPA, which began in Q4 of 2022.

Speaking about this new milestone, Luis Sabaté, President and COO, Matrix Renewables, commented: “Today, we achieved a significant milestone for

thus in the process of updating its stand-alone strategy, with the focus on sustainable power generation, security of supply and affordable energy. In this context, Fortum’s CO2-free generation assets are now needed more than ever. This study contributes to that strategy development. Any decisions about future investments will be made in due course.

More information: www.fortum.com

Matrix Renewables, as our first project of many becomes commercially operational in Spain. It is extremely humbling to know that we are making a difference to Spanish families and businesses by providing new sustainable energy at this challenging time for energy in our country”.

More information: www.matrixrenewables.com

Neste and Rolls-Royce to boost renewable diesel

Neste and Rolls-Royce have agreed to build a strategic partnership to boost the use of renewable diesel as a lower-emission solution for diesel engines. Both parties share a common vision of renewable fuels playing a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in off-highway applications, such as construction and power generation. The key focus in the collaboration will be on promoting the use of more sustainable fuels in applications based on the existing internal combustion engine technology, accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels and increasing knowledge sharing on renewable diesel and the benefits it provides to its users.

Under the mtu brand, RollsRoyce sells high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships,

power generation, heavy land and rail vehicles, military vehicles and the oil and gas industry, as well as diesel and gas systems and battery containers for safety-critical applications, continuous power generation, combined heat and power, and microgrids.

“Through our ‘Net Zero at Power Systems’ sustainability program, we have committed to realigning our mtu product portfolio so that by 2030, sustainable fuels and new mtu technologies will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 35% compared to 2019. This near-term target plays an important role in the Rolls-Royce Group’s Net Zero ambition by 2050 at the latest. Our collaboration with Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel, will help us achieve our goals and those of our customers,” said Tobias Ostermaier, President

Stationary Power Solutions from the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems.

“With Neste MY Renewable Diesel the GHG emissions can be reduced by as much as 75-95% when emissions over the fuel’s life cycle are compared with fossil diesel. Companies can reduce their climate emissions significantly in an instant by just changing the fuel,” added Lars Peter Lindfors, Senior Vice President Innovations at Neste.

“Since May, 2022, Rolls-Royce has approved mtu engines for power generation for renewable diesel and other fuels meeting the EN15940 standard specifications. The tests we have done show additionally an up to 90% greenhouse gas reduction, up to 80% less particulate emissions and an average of 8% nitrogen oxides reduction. All our tests

confirmed full performance levels without modifications to the engines,” outlined Michael Stipa, Vice President Stationary Strategy, Business Development and Product Management at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

Rolls-Royce is gradually releasing its main mtu engine series for more sustainable fuels such as renewable diesel, also known as HVO or HVO100, and e-diesel in other applications such as rail, marine and the construction industry.

“Both Neste and Rolls-Royce are aiming to reach their climate targets and to support customers on their sustainability journey. Collaboration truly plays a key role when aiming for a significant sustainability impact,” concluded Mats Hultman, Head of OEM Partnerships at Neste. More information: www.neste.com

left to right: Mats Hultman, Lars Peter Lindfors, Tobias Ostermaier and Michael Stipa.

RWE commissions study into Celtic Sea opportunities

The Celtic Sea region offers a huge opportunity to develop large-scale, commercial floating offshore wind and RWE as the largest energy producer and renewables operator in Wales, wants to play a part in its delivery.

In anticipation of this, RWE has commissioned Swansea-based Marine Power Systems (MPS) to develop a project plan for delivering up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of floating wind using the ports ABP Port Talbot and Pembroke Dock for foundation assembly and turbine assembly. In addition, the study will identify what materials and components could be sourced from South Wales and the wider supply chain.

MPS is developing an offshore wind platform solution, called PelaFlex, for industrial scale applications. The partnership will allow RWE to learn more about the foundation technology being developed and how it could be deployed from the region’s ports into the Celtic Sea. The study will build upon collaborations already established this year between RWE, and the ports, as well as Tata Steel UK, in preparation for the Crown Estate’s Celtic Sea seabed leasing expected to take place next year.

Philippa Powell, RWE Celtic Sea Project Lead, said: “We are delighted to be working with Marine Power Systems to find solutions for maximising opportunities for the region’s supply chains, which will be so important for local and regional communities. At the same time, the study will test the future capability of our local ports to support the delivery of the multi-billion pound opportunities that the Celtic Sea floating wind opportunity offers.

“RWE is in an excellent position to help broker relationships between our trusted supply chain partners, such as between MPS, TATA Steel UK and with the local ports. MPS are reaching some exciting milestones in the testing of their floating devices and we also look forward to

seeing the results from the testing facilities.”

RWE is preparing to bid into the Crown Estate Celtic Sea seabed leasing round in 2023 where up to 4GW of floating wind will be awarded, with many more gigawatts expected in the future.

In advance of the MPS study, RWE has already signed MoU’s with the two deep water ports in the region (ABP Port Talbot and Pembroke Dock), as well as a co-operation agreement with Tata Steel UK to explore how these facilities may be utilised for Celtic Sea floating wind.

UK-based MPS’s solution aims to help increase local content by

leveraging existing supply chain capability and enabling a wide range of ports to support deployment. Next year, MPS is deploying its multi-MW PelaFlex project at BiMEP in Bilbao.

Gareth Stockman, CEO at Marine Power Systems, said: “We are delighted to be supporting RWE to help them understand exactly how our unique and flexible floating platform technology can be deployed in the Celtic Sea and how we can leverage local supply chain to do that. Our technology has been designed to optimise local content delivery through a decentralised logistics model and these benefits help utility scale developers such

as RWE minimise costs whilst maximising local economic benefits and accelerating industrial scale farm development. We are looking forward to working with RWE and colleagues at ABP Port Talbot and Milford haven Port Authority, as well as RWE supply chain partners such as TATA steel”.

RWE’s ambition is to develop commercial-scale floating projects around the world and is participating in joint industry projects and active involvement in three high-profile demonstration projects in Norway, Spain and the USA.

More information:

West of Orkney Windfarm completes offshore surveys

The developer of the West of Orkney Windfarm has completed its 2022 offshore surveys for the project area, located around 25 km North of the Sutherland coast. The 2 GW project is a joint venture comprising Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group (RIDG), and is scheduled to be generating electricity by 2029.

This milestone achievement covered geophysical and benthic surveys of the seabed across the 657 sq km offshore option agreement area, with the objective of establishing the project ground model and habitats map. In addition, nearshore geophysical and geotechnical surveys were completed along the offshore cable corridors.

The offshore seabed surveys began in early April, 2022, with seabed survey specialists Ocean Infinity using their vessels MV Relume and MV Geo-Ranger, operating out of Scrabster Harbour. Ocean Infinity was also responsible for the shallow geotechnical work on the cable corridor whilst the

nearshore geophysical survey was completed by Spectrum using the vessels Spectrum 1 and Spectrum Nyquist and a photogrammetry aerial drone.

The information collected, alongside three seasons of bird and marine mammal surveys, which were

completed in September, keeps the West of Orkney team on track to submit onshore and offshore consent applications next Summer.

The bird and marine mammal surveys were carried out by HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd using highresolution digital cameras mounted

on aircraft. This high-definition information gives the project confidence they are recording and identifying all of the different species that might be found at the offshore windfarm site.

More information: www.westoforkney.com

Wind turbine blades made from wood

Finnish company Stora Enso and Voodin Blade Technology GmbH have signed a partnership agreement to develop sustainable wind turbine blades made from wood. Under the agreement, the two companies are committed to developing sustainable alternatives for wind turbine blades and creating a competitive and reliable supply chain. They are currently producing and installing a 20 metre blade for a 0.5 MW turbine and have plans for an 80 metre blade.

Based in Germany, Voodin Blades start-up company developing sustainable rotor blades for wind turbines. Stora Enso is a leading global supplier of

mass timber products, including laminated veneer lumber LVL), a construction material suitable for wind power construction.

“With the current energy crisis and ambitious decarbonisation goals, wind energy has never been more in demand. Through this partnership with Voodin Blades we further accelerate our ability to develop a sustainable and competitive supply chain for the growing market of wind turbine blades,” said Lars Völkel, Executive Vice-President, Wood Products Division, Stora Enso.

Wind power blades are typically produced with fibreglass and carbon fibre, energy-intensive non-renewable plastics made from petrochemicals

that cannot be easily recycled. Tens of thousands of ageing blades today end up in landfills. By developing blades with sustainable wood, Stora Enso and Voodin Blades can make the blades lighter and reduce the overall dependency on fossil fuel extraction.

“The wind industry as a key driver towards carbon neutrality needs to become 100% sustainable and environmentally-friendly. With the installation of the 20 metre blade, we are opening a path towards a more sustainable future. In time we will start to develop and manufacture blades for future multi-megawatt turbines,” said Joachim Knapp, mechanical engineer and automation

expert, Voodin Blades.

Stora Enso is providing 100% sustainable wood for the new blades. The first 20 m blade will be developed using Stora Enso’s LVL, a mass timber product that has a high load-bearing capacity that easily supports large scale rotary blades. Unlike steel and concrete, LVL is relatively lightweight to transport onsite without heavy-duty equipment. Furthermore, LVL is a renewable material with a minimal carbon footprint. The 20 metre blade will be installed on a 0.5-megawatt turbine near Warburg, Germany, by the end of 2022.

More information: www.storaenso.com

Building Alberta’s green economy with solar power

Goldbeck Solar has announced the start of construction of the Joffre solar plant with the ground-breaking ceremony in Lacombe County. This is the first project to enter construction of the 100 MWp portfolio of projects developed with the PACE Canada LP joint venture. The 47 MW ac project will create 88450 MWhs of clean energy per year, which is enough to

power more than 12,000 Alberta homes each year and will be built by GP Joule Canada, which has 11 years of experience in this territory and is now part of the Goldbeck Solar group.

This project and the following three projects: Youngstown, Hanna and Caroline will create a need for new skills in Alberta and a significant contribution to the tax base that can grow Alberta’s rural economies.

The construction of the Joffre solar plant alone will support the equivalent of 400 full-time construction jobs and eight full-time operation and maintenance jobs over the life of the project. It will also provide a considerable property tax and local purchasing contribution to the municipality over the life of the project.

Solar energy projects like Joffre’s can create an opportunity for

Shovels at the ready for the ground-breaking ceremony in Joffre, Alberta.

diversification and income certainty for the landowner as they work on innovation to adapt to the impacts of climate change and on increasing agricultural yields from land under solar lease.

More information: www.goldbecksolar.com

IBC SOLAR strengthens its position in Poland

On 13 October, it was announced that IBC SOLAR Energy, the international project division of IBC SOLAR AG, had sold two solar parks in advanced initiation stages in Poland with a total capacity of 120 megawatts to Afcon Renewable Energy of Israel.

A subsidiary of Afcon Holdings, the Israeli firm signed an agreement to acquire rights for two solar energy (PV) projects

under advanced development located in the Western region of Poland. Afcon Renewable Energy will complete the development of the projects up to the stage of readiness to build through development agreements signed with local entrepreneurs.

“The signing of the contract is the kick-off of our joint project activities with Afcon, which may be extended to other countries as

well,” said Patrik Danz, Chief Sales Officer, IBC SOLAR AG. “The sale to Afcon is only a part of our project development in Poland, which comprises more than 600 MW and is being continuously expanded.”

The agreement with Afcon underlines IBC SOLAR’s expansion of business activities in Poland. The company has recently founded a new subsidiary in Poland and has thus expanded its local capacities.

“As a full-service provider, IBC SOLAR is an experienced partner for renewable energy projects from the development and turn-key realisation up to the operation and maintenance. This applies not only to the solar park sector, but also to the residential sector, in which we have been successfully active in Poland for several years, as well as for the commercial and industrial sector in roof-top or

Trina Solar modules to power project in Greece

Leading global PV and smart energy total solution provider, Trina Solar Co Ltd, has been selected to supply solar energy developer Cero Generation with the bifacial modules for its 100 MW Project Delfini, one of the largest solar PV installations in Greece to date. Located in Prosotsani Drama, Project Delfini will be powered by Trina Solar’s bifacial Vertex DEG21C.20 modules and is financed through a power purchase agreement (PPA). By delivering cheaper energy to the grid, it will also help bring down costs for consumers at a time when the price of electricity is on the rise throughout Europe.

Featuring up to 670 W power output, Trina Solar Vertex modules possess several innovative developments that make them wellsuited to Project Delfini. The bifacial technology is of particular value, as the power-producing capability of the panels’ rear side can increase the modules’ output by up to 25%. Their efficiency of up to 21.6% maximises yield, helping to level the cost of electricity (LCoE) to a minimum.

Expected to be operational by Autumn, 2023, Project Delfini is estimated to generate 142 gigawatthours of electricity annually. That’s equivalent to powering roughly 34,000 homes and it will also remove

adjacent installation with energy management solutions, in which we are focusing our activities today,” explained Wojciech Prokopowicz, Managing Director, IBC SOLAR Polska.

Renewable energy is gaining increasing attention in Poland. The country’s electricity market is the largest in Eastern Europe and one of the developing markets in Europe. There is a declared aim to reduce the carbon footprint according to the adopted EU regulations, which leads to a rapid transition of electricity generation in the country. The Polish government aims at more than

(TSM-DEG21C.20)

63,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

The funding mechanism for Project Delfini is also significant, as the PPA model creates a subsidy-free project. This is the first project in Greece with a private PPA.

Declan Deasy, Chief Operating Officer of Cero Generation, cited the high efficiency of Trina Solar’s Vertex modules as one of the key reasons that it chose Trina to be its supplier: “Trina Solar’s bifacial modules allowed

us to maximise the power output of our design, so that we could deliver a system with optimal performance. Their ability to supply such a high volume of modules also played a role in our decision and we look forward to working with them on future projects”.

Trina Solar’s Head of Europe, Gonzalo de la Viña, echoed this sentiment: “Cero Generation is clearly committed to delivering clean green energy to nations across Europe and we share that goal. We were happy to

provide them with the high-efficiency modules they needed to make their project a success”.

Delfini isn’t the only solar energy project that Cero Generation has underway in Greece. It also has a three gigawatt pipeline consisting of multiple renewable energy developments and Trina Solar looks forward to meeting its bifacial module needs in the future.

More information: www.trinasolar.com

30% electricity production from renewable energy by 2030, reflecting a growth of over 50% in less than a decade.

Israel Raif, Chairman of Afcon, said: “We are very pleased about our co-operation with IBC SOLAR. These two projects are a significant addition to our portfolio of projects in general and in Poland in particular. Afcon is continuing to invest in unique large-scale solar projects and this acquisition will position us as a significant player in the renewable energy market in Europe”.

More information: www.ibc-solar-energy.com

The Vertex bifacial module

has been selected to power the 100 MW Project Delfini, one of the largest solar PV installations in Greece (picture courtesy of Trina Solar).

Annual pellet event

The European Pellet Conference will take place once again at the Stadthalle in Wels, Austria, on 1 March, next year. The price crisis, multiplying signs of climate change and threats to energy security urge action like never before. REPowerEU reflects this urgency and provides new momentum for the energy transition. As a CO 2-neutral fuel, sustainable bioenergy is a key component in decarbonising our energy supply.

In 2023, the European Pellet Conference – the largest annual pellet event worldwide – shows the important role of pellets in securing our clean energy future and concrete policies, technologies and markets to achieve success. The event is part of the World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED), a leading conference on energy transition and climate neutrality organised by the OÖ Energiesparverband, an energy agency with the mission of promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Topics being considered for presentation at the conference include:

c Technologies, markets, policies, business models

c Heating of homes and larger

buildings, CHP (small to large scale), industrial pellet applications

c ‘Smart’ bioenergy (products and services for decentral, flexible, digital and connected energy systems and markets)

c New markets for pellets, pellet heating and electricity generation

c Actions to decrease equipment and operation costs

c Actions to improve public perception of biomass

c Energy labelling of heating systems

c Combination of pellets with other renewable energy sources

c Research and innovations on fuels, equipment, products, distribution, technologies and services

c Best practice examples for installations

c Programmes, market reports, financing

c Services, business models and financing in the fields of pellet

production and use

c Strategies, policies, legislation, programmes to develop pellet heating/electricity markets

c Different raw materials, agri-pellets, pellet production technologies (e.g. torrefaction)

c Standardisation, quality criteria, quality management

c Pellet market reports (local, regional, national markets)

c Marketing of equipment, fuels and services

c Initiatives and projects to meet emission requirements

c Supply chains for fuels and equipment

c Security of pellet supply

c Safety issues (storage, equipment)

c Sustainability aspects along the value chain and certification schemes

c Improvements in costs, performance and consumer satisfaction

c Pricing and risk management

c Pellets and energy efficiency (heating, electricity production)

c Pilot projects, information and training

c Energy contracting and other operation and financing models

c Results of EU-funded projects

More information: www,wsed.at/european-pelletconference