Spanish Abengoa and Japan-based Toshiba have been selected as preferred bidders for developing the 299MW Tees Renewable Energy Plant in Middlesbrough, UK.

Located at the Port of Teesside, the biomass-fuelled facility that produces electricity and steam will be self-sufficient, and also export power to industries and nearby users.

Owned by a subsidiary of UK-based MGT Power, MGT Teesside, the facility is claimed to be the largest biomass combined heat and power plant in the world.

“The facility is expected to generate as much renewable electricity in a year as a 1GW wind farm.”

The engineering and construction contract to be awarded for the facility is likely to exceed €600m, Abengoa said.

The Spanish conglomerate will be responsible for engineering, design and construction of the plant, which will require wood pellets and chips as fuel from certified sustainable forestry resources across the US and Europe.

The project will be developed in compliance with the UK’s criteria for renewable energy.

Once operational, the project will be able to generate nearly 2.4TWh of electricity a year, which is enough to power around 600,000 homes in the UK.

Planned to run 24hr a day year-round, the facility is expected to generate as much renewable electricity in a year as a 1GW wind farm.

It will account for 5.5% of the UK’s renewable energy target for 2020 and reduce around 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in one year.

MGT Teesside has scheduled the facility to start its commercial operations from next year.

Enel Green Power has commissioned a biomass power plantEnel Green Power has commissioned a biomass power plant at the Cornia 2 geothermal power plant in Tuscany, Italy.

Said to be the first-of-its-kind, the 5MW facility will be fuelled by locally sourced forest biomass to heat the geothermal steam.

This will increase the energy-efficiency and output of the geothermal cycle by more than 30GWh a year, while eliminating 13,000t of carbon dioxide.

Steam entering the power plant is heated to temperatures of up to 380°C, which will increase the net electricity generation capacity.

“The plant has almost zero impact on the environment, and maintains total renewability of the resource and the cycle.”

Enel Green Power CEO Francesco Venturini said: “The integration of different technologies is a major step forward for the future of renewable energy.”

The company has invested more than €15m in the biomass project, which will support the region with up to 40 direct and indirect jobs.

Enel said the plant has almost zero impact on the environment, and maintains total renewability of the resource and the cycle.

The company operates a stillwater facility in the US that integrates the generation capacity of binary cycle geothermal technology with solar thermodynamic, and the Fontes solar facility in Brazil, which combines solar photovoltaic with wind, and uses a standalone solar photovoltaic plant.

Enel Green Power develops projects based on renewable energy sources, with operations in Europe, the Americas and Africa.

Fund manager for renewable energy projects Glennmont Partners has purchased a 40MW biomass power project in the UK for £160m from ECO2 and Western Logs Group.

The Margam Green Energy Project to be developed in Port Talbot, Wales, has been acquired by the firm on behalf of its clean energy fund Glennmont Clean Energy Fund Europe II.

ECO2 will be responsible for development and management of the power facility, which will be fired by waste wood.

Construction of the plant will be carried out by Babcock Wilcox Volund and Interserve. The facility is likely to begin operations in March 2017.

Nearly 250,000t of recycled waste wood will be sourced, processed, and supplied annually to the facility by Stobart Energy.

According to a 14-year fuel supply agreement, Stobart Energy’s transportation unit will deliver 250 loads weekly to the Margam Green Energy Project.

Stobart Energy & Infrastructure CEO Richard Butcher said: “This agreement secures an attractive supply contract for the group, and will contribute significantly to our target of supplying two million tonnes of fuel per annum into the UK biomass market by 2017/18.

“We supply one million tonnes per annum at present.”

“Coupled with the recent successful financial closure on the group’s Widnes Biomass Project, this agreement confirms we are firmly on track to achieve our strategic aims in this sector, and reinforces our position as the number one supplier of biomass in the UK.”

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has invited bids from developers to design and construct two geothermal power plants that have a combined generation capacity of 210MW.

Both the projects, the 140MW Olkaria V power plant and the 70MW plant in Olkaria I unit 6, will be built at the steam-filled Olkaria field site, Reuters reported.

KenGen is 70% state-owned and plans to build the 140MW facility first, which it is presently seeking funds for from development institutions.

Kenya has ample geothermal energy resources in the Rift Valley region, which it intends to utilise to reduce tariff rates for power.

By 2030, the country will have a requirement of surplus 15,000MW energy, which it intends to derive from geothermal and other renewable sources.

The east African country wants to raise its power generation capacity by 5,000MW from the present 1,664MW by 2017.

Kenya, the first African country to tap geothermal power, has the capability to produce 7,000MW of it.

It aims to produce 5,000MW of electricity from geothermal sources by 2030.

Belgian Eco Energy (Bee) has selected Spain-based energy and environment firm Abengoa for construction of a 215MW biomass powered plant in Ghent, Belgium.

The project will involve an investment of over €315m ($395m). The plant is likely to be the largest biomass power facility worldwide and will be fuelled by 100% raw materials that include wood chips and agro-residues.

Under the deal, Abengoa will carry out engineering, design and construction for the facility. The project will open up almost 1,100 job opportunities during its execution phase, Abengoa stated.

The facility, once operational, is expected to help the western European country to meet the environmental standards set by the European Union.

Out of the 215MW produced clean thermal energy at the plant, around 100MW will be distributed to the local industries and homes in Ghent using ‘district heating’ system.

Abengoa has previously set up power lines and has water plants and solar projects under its portfolio. The firm has built biomass plants in Europe, Latin America and the US.

It inaugurated its first biofuel facility worth $500m last month in Kansas, US, which uses crop wastes to produce biofuels, reports Bloomberg.

Dalkia, together with Fengate Capital Management, will build a 40MW biomass power plant in Canada.

To be located in Merritt, British Columbia, the power plant is claimed to be the largest in North America along with the Fort St James plant, also developed by Dalkia and Fengate Capital Management.

To be built under a design, finance, build, operate and maintain (DFBOM) contract, Dalkia will be responsible for industrial management and maintenance of the facilities, biomass supply and preparation services.

The plant will produce electricity by consuming 307,000kg of biomass a year, which will mainly be sawmill waste. Supply will be managed by Dalkia and sourced from local sawmills.

Power generated from the project will be supplied to BC Hydro & Power Authority to power almost 40,000 Canadian households.

During the construction phase the project will create around 250 jobs and 80 new direct and indirect jobs during the plant’s 30-year operation.

Fengate Capital Management will provide financing for the plant, together with a number of international and Canadian banks. As for Fort St James, Dalkia and Fengate Capital Management have contracted Iberdrola Engineering & Construction to build the plant.

Dalkia expects the project to generate cumulative operating and biomass sales of more than €540m (CAD790m) over the contract’s 30-year term.

Veolia chairman and CEO of Antoine Frérot said: “After Fort St James, construction of which started at the end of 2013, the Merritt biomass power plant will be one of the largest and most efficient in North America. Here again, Dalkia has confirmed its globally unparalleled expertise in biomass plants. Our cooperation with Fengate Capital Management enables us to provide our customers with the best of our combined expertise: the design and operation of the most complex facilities on the one hand, and asset financing on the other.”

Dalkia is a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement and Electricité de France.

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund (B&W Vølund), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG), has won a contract to build a biomass boiler system for the Skærbækværket power plant in Denmark.

Located near Fredericia, the power plant will have a power generation capacity of 280MW.

The contract is valued at more than $80m.

Under the contract, B&W Vølund will be responsible for designing, manufacturing, supplying, constructing and commissioning of the plant’s boiler system. The contract was booked in the second quarter of 2014.

Owned by DONG Energy Thermal Power, the plant will consist of two 140MW biomass-fired boilers used to supply district heating and power to residents in the region.

The boilers will be fueled primarily by wood chips and other biomass residue.

Engineering and design work on the project will begin soon and construction of the plant is scheduled for completion in April 2017.

B&W PGG president and chief operating officer Randall Data said: “This project reflects B&W’s ongoing strategic effort to deploy its clean energy, biomass and waste-to-energy technologies globally.

“B&W Vølund is a leader in the clean energy technology sphere and its steam generators offer economical and efficient solutions for our customers’ needs to comply with challenging emissions regulations.

“We appreciate this opportunity to serve our customer, DONG Energy.”

Japan-based power producer Sumitomo will begin construction on a 75MW biomass power plant in Aichi prefecture as a new power supply source for Summit Energy’s electric power retail business.

To be built adjacent to the Port of Kinuura in Handa-city, the Handa biomass power plant will be operated by Summit Handa Power.

The total project cost is expected to be around JPY20bn ($197m).

The power plant, which is claimed to be the largest pure biomass-fired power plant in the country, will be put into commercial operation within the fiscal year 2016.

Construction work on the project will begin next month.

Biomass fuel will be procured from domestic and abroad through Sumitomo Corporation’s Materials & Supplies Division, which has expertise in handling wood chips and palm kernel shells.

The two companies are considering another biomass plant in eastern Japan.

The Handa biomass power plant will be Summit Energy’s second biomass power plant, the first being Itoigawa biomass power plant (50MW) that went into commercial operation in January 2005.

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.”

A bill has been introduced to the US Congress, which aims to help industrial facilities become more efficient and retain power during significant storms.

The Power, Efficiency and Resiliency (POWER) Act would increase tax credits for industrial facilities that install energy-efficient technologies such as combined heat and power (CHP) and waste heat to power (WHP) and allow them to continue generating power during a blackout.

Specifically, the bill would increase the investment tax credit from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, and allow it to be applied to WHP upgrades, according to Business Journal.

“The Power Act incentivizes investment in energy-efficient systems that protect our environment, encourage economic growth and ensure that hospitals and other critical facilities are able to continue operating in emergencies, even when the electric grid goes down,” says bill co-sponsor Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania in a release. “That is why this legislation has the support of Democrats and Republicans, as well as a diverse coalition of business, labor, energy and environmental organizations.”

According to a study from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, CHP could be used to produce up to 20 per cent of US electrical capacity by 2030. TheEnvironmental Protection Agency says it estimates that WHP could be used to generate 10 gigawatts of emissions-free energy, enough to power 10 million homes.