Integrated energy giant Dong Energy has teamed up with other Danish companies Novozymes, Novo Nordisk and Bigadan to investigate the possibility of creating biogas from biomass.

The firms intend to proceed with biogas production processes if a one-year pre-investigation supports the preliminary analyses.

Pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk and biotechnology firm Novozymes have factories in Kalundborg on Denmark’s Zealand island.

These enzymes and insulin production centres generate biomass as a by-product, which is either used as field fertiliser or by Novo Nordisk to create biogas at installations around the island.

Bigadan and Dong Energy have been chosen as partners for the study, with the aims of exploring the potential of using the biomass from the facilities for biogas production.

“This doesn’t just make sense for the environment, but also financially for our production.”
Novozymes EMA operations director Gerrit Liebgen and Novo Nordisk senior vice-president Michael Hallgren said: “It’s an exciting project which will look at whether it’s a good idea to use our production here in Kalundborg as a source of biomass for large-scale biogas production.

“It would mean that the biomass will both be used as a fertiliser, and for green energy. This doesn’t just make sense for the environment, but also financially for our production.”

Detailed analyses of the potential biogas generation are being carried out.

The firms intend to set-up a new production facility for the project, which will require relevant authority approvals.

Once approved, Bigadan and Dong Energy will develop and own the biogas plant, currently planned to sit near the Asnæs power station.

Apart from the Kalundborg facilities, Novo Nordisk and Novozymes will also deliver biomass for the proposed plant from their facility at Fuglebakken, Copenhagen.

A major study on the oil and gas sector by UK based Lloyd’s Register Energy has revealed that technology will have a high impact on extending the life of existing assets and for enhanced oil and gas recovery (EOR).

Instead of a single breakthrough, innovation is drawing on a wide range of technologies.

The Technology Radar Survey was launched at the start of 2014 to find out about the impact of innovation and investment by operators in America, Europe and Asia.

The study revealed factors like safety improvements (45%), improving operational efficiency (44%) and reducing costs (43%) to be major investment drivers across the industry, which are closely followed by accessibility of new reserves (29%) and increasing asset lifespan (27%).

Automation and remote and subsea operation have been identified as solutions to cope with challenging environments in the near term.

High-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) drilling and multi-stage fracking are also expected to have significant impact, but these are likely to be completely deployed only from 2020.

Around 73% of the participants believed that the innovation rate is increasing and around 68% wanted to raise R&D budgets within the next two years.

Of those surveyed, 58% agreed that future breakthroughs involve ‘bits and bytes’ and not physical hardware.

Lloyd’s Register Energy director John Wishart said: “In the near term, automation and EOR are expected to have the greatest impact on the sector; in the medium term, it is high-pressure, high-temperature drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing; from 2025 and beyond, subsea robotics is seen as most promising.

“Initiatives that nurture technical innovation can no longer be an afterthought for business or government; they must be central to any organisation’s strategy for sustainable growth and leadership. They are central to our growth too”.

“Adapting that sort of thinking into what we do is going to be a very interesting part of how we move forward. We are driving the development of new concepts and technologies through collaborative R&D, and our focus is firmly on innovation — to benefit our clients and society’s future.”

UK Onshore Operations Group, Woodside Energy, Enertech, Maersk Drilling, TouGas Oilfield Solutions, Horton Wison Deepwater, Royal Dutch Shell, GE Oil & Gas were the survey participants among others.

A memorandum of understanding signed this past week sets up an agreement between BC First Nations and the Clean Energy Association of BC (CEBC) to cooperate in developing British Columbia’s renewable sector, including hydroelectric power.

The document — which includes the signatures of 13 First Nations groups, the First Nations Energy and Mining Council, and CEBC — also includes wind, biomass, biogas, solar, geothermal and natural gas generation.

“There is no reason why the clean energy sector cannot power a new era of economic development for First Nations in British Columbia,” Sechelt (shishalh) First Nation councilor Garry Feschuk said. “First Nations are distributed throughout B.C and so are the clean generation fuels. We should all be able to benefit from this sector.”

British Columbia is home to 125 First Nations groups that have had some involvement in the development of renewable energy so far, CEBC said, and all are still welcome to sign the memorandum.

“British Columbia’s clean energy sector has a strong track record of working collaboratively with First Nations to promote economic development,” Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett said. “Working with First Nations is a key part of doing business in British Columbia, and this MOU will help to strengthen these important partnerships.”

The UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) has announced plans to provide funding for two anaerobic digestion plants on farms in Northern Ireland, with several other AD projects thought to be in the pipeline in the region.
The projects, in Cookstown, County Tyrone and Banbridge, County Down, will be used by local livestock farmers and have been developed alongside their advisors, KPMG, working with the GIB’s fund manager, Foresight and PAR Renewables, a consortium of three farming enterprises.
Shaun Kingsbury, GIB chief executive, said: “This is a textbook example of the types of project we should be seeing all across the UK.
“It’s economically important, injecting £6.5m into the rural economy in Northern Ireland and generating 22 new jobs. It’s green, turning farm waste into renewable energy and fertiliser. And it’s good for the local farming community, earning and saving them money.”
PAR Renewables spokesman, Rodney Sloan said: “We took the decision to develop an on-farm anaerobic digestion plant over three years ago, pooling the resources across our three farm enterprises.
“While we received planning permission nearly two years ago, the lack of suitable funding in the market has delayed the project’s development and we are therefore delighted to have worked with the GIB, Foresight, KPMG and Williams Industrial Services to secure a funding package tailored specifically to our project’s requirements.”
The feedstock for the plants will include farm waste from the surrounding farms and the digestate by-product will be used by them as a biofertiliser for their crops.
When completed, the two projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy to power 1700 households for a year. The reduction in greenhouse gas production from the projects will be equivalent to taking 2000 cars off the road for a year.
UK resources management minister Dan Rogerson said: “I am delighted that the Green Investment Bank has invested in these two excellent projects. “Anaerobic digestion is the unsung hero of the renewables industry; it diverts waste from landfill and generates clean, renewable energy.
“Given the technology’s flexibility it’s also a great way for farmers to secure additional income from manures and slurries alongside food waste.”

Enerkem has launched the first full-scale municipal waste-to-biofuels and chemicals facility in Canada.

Enerkem president and CEO Vincent Chornet said that the facility uses garbage instead of fossil sources for the production of chemicals and liquid transportation fuels.

Chornet said, “We are proud of the inauguration of our first full-scale biorefinery facility as it is the culmination of more than 10 years of disciplined efforts to scale up our technology from pilot and demonstration, to commercial scale.

“The completion of this game-changing facility is by far one of the most significant developments the waste and biorefinery sectors have seen yet.”

Located in Edmonton, Alberta and operated by Enerkem Alberta Biofuels, the facility is one of the world’s first commercial facilities to be built for the production of renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels.

More than 600 direct and indirect jobs were created during the construction of the facility for the modular manufacturing of the facility’s systems and their on-site assembly.

Mayor Don Iveson said, “This type of leading edge innovation demands a team approach and we’re proud of our partnership with Enerkem and Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions.”

Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Minister and Government House Leader for the Government of Alberta Robin Campbell said that the innovative facility will offer clear environmental benefits as it converts waste into value-added products.

The start-up of the biorefinery follows a rigorous commissioning plan which is nearing completion. Biomethanol production will begin progressively during the start-up. A module converting the biomethanol into advanced ethanol will be added by the end of 2015.

Held on the evening of 2 July, after first day of the annual industry exhibition and conference, UK AD & Biogas 2014, NEC Birmingham, the UK AD & Biogas Industry Awards will be presented to companies that have successfully demonstrated their capabilities and achievements over the past 12 months.

According to Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), the UK AD & Biogas Industry Awards recognise the incredible innovation and achievements of individual companies, while demonstrating the benefits of anaerobic digestion and the ability of the technology to successfully integrate into a range of businesses and sectors, including utilities.

This year’s event boasts a number of exciting new awards categories including:

• Best supporting service
• Best small scale AD project
• Best on-farm AD project
• Best merchant AD project; and
• Best food and drink industry AD project

The 2014 UK AD & Biogas Industry Award finalists are as follows:

• Cranfield University, Severn Trent Water and NMC Nomenca, Veolia “Water Energy” Programme
• Olleco, ReFood
• Citadel Environmental Solutions, Monsal, MT Energie UK, New Generation Biogas, Nijhuis H2OK, PRM Waste Systems, Schwarting Biosystem, Uniflare Ltd.
• Citadel Environmental Solutions, Monsal, Wales Centre of Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion
• Chesterfield Biogas, Clarke Energy
• Aqua Enviro, GP Planning, RUR3 Environmental, The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), Wales Centre of Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion, Walker Morris
• Agrigen Ltd., Shropshire Biogas, Edina Group and PROjEN, St Nicholas Court Farms and MT-Energie UK, Tamar Energy, WIS Group Northern Ireland
• Clearfleau, Holbeach AD Facility (QV Foods and Tamar Energy), Wyke Farm
• Emerald Biogas and Edina Group, Malaby Biogas, Monsal, TEG Biogas Ltd.
• Clearfleau, LEAP Micro AD
• ENA Biomethane Campaign, Imtech, ReFood, Scotia Gas Networks, Tamar Energy, Target Renewables, Wyke Farm

Assured Asset Energy (AAE), a UK-based company specialising in anaerobic digestion and waste gasification technologies, has set up £27 million (€33 million) in financing for up to 30 new on-farm biogas projects in Northern Ireland.

The fund, AAE says, will help Northern Ireland reach its 2020 renewables target. Set out in the Strategic Energy Framework for Northern Ireland 2010, the region must source 40% of its total energy from renewable materials in six years’ time.

It is expected the £27 million, which will be made available to the country’s farming community, will help establish plants able to process a total 450,000 tonnes per year of farm waste, producing enough biogas to generate up to 8.5MW of renewable energy for sale into the Northern Ireland grid.

Environment minister Mark Durkan was reported to have said: ‘This fund will help more farmers to seize the benefits of this renewable technology which can help them make savings and reduce running costs in the longer term. Anaerobic digesters can also assist in reducing carbon emissions and help meet Executive Renewable Energy targets.’

Duke Energy Carolinas will build and operate a natural gas-fired combined cycle plant in South Carolina, US.

The 750MW power plant will be built at the existing Lee Steam Station site in Anderson County.

The North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation will own 100MW of the project.

Recently, the Public Service Commission of South Carolina approved the plant and the company has now decided to move ahead with construction activities.

The decision to move forward with this project is part of a comprehensive, long-term plan to add new generation, modernise the fleet, maintain a diverse fuel portfolio and manage customer costs while delivering a high-quality, reliable power supply.

Duke Energy South Carolina state president Clark Gillespy said that natural gas-fired combined cycle plants are a good match to meet the significant energy needs of the company’s customers over the next 15 years, and are expected to be an important part of the future Duke Energy Carolinas generation portfolio.

“They are very efficient in the production of electricity using natural gas as fuel and have very low plant emissions, Gillespy said.

Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and will come online in November 2017. Currently, the company is in the process of procuring equipment.

“The Lee site is a great location for a combined cycle plant. Duke Energy will be able to leverage existing site infrastructure to minimise new generation project costs and impacts to the community and environment,” Gillespy added.

The project will create around 500 jobs during the construction period, with approximately 25 full-time employees to operate the plant once it is online.

Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn said: “Anderson County has a long, successful history with Duke Energy. Today we celebrate Duke Energy’s latest investment in our community, which will bring quality jobs for our residents. We are grateful to Duke Energy’s leadership for choosing our county for this project and for continually shaping the future of the Upstate.”

The next Labour government will prioritise renewable biogas as a cost-effective, locally-sourced, low-carbon source of heating.
This was announced last week by the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Caroline Flint, who described green gas as the “big overlooked area” in energy policy.
Drawing on analysis from National Grid that shows up to 50% of domestic gas needs could be met from green gas, Ms Flint said her party would commission a report on the policy and regulatory reforms needed to maximise the potential for the development of green gas, following the next election.
Ms Flint, whose Don Valley constituency is home to the first commercial biogas plant connected to the grid at Hatfield Woodhouse, argued that experience from around the world showed that green gas was an innovative solution to the challenges of affordability, energy security and carbon reduction.
Speaking at the Gas Industry Awards event, she claimed there were no technical or safety barriers to delivering green gas, which could not be overcome.
“Indeed, we know it is do-able because it is already deployed in other countries. Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and the United States already have green gas being injected into the grid, providing a locally sourced and low-carbon source of heating.”
Her announcement was welcomed by Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association, who said biomethane from anaerobic digestion could play a huge role play in increasing UK energy security and decarbonising difficult areas like heating and road transport.
However, she added: “Maximising our industry’s potential will only be possible if the next government diverts food waste from landfill and ensures it is collected separately.”
The anaerobic digestion and biogas industry will meet to discuss the sectors potential to deliver ultra-low carbon gas and electricity, supporting green economic growth and jobs, energy security and helping the UK to meet its climate change and emissions targets, on July 2-3 at UK AD & Biogas 2014 at the NEC in Birmingham.