China and the US to establish biofuel company in the US

China largest egg producers has agreed to co operate with a major meat supplier in the US to establish a biofuel company in the US, with a total investment of US$1.8 billion (€1.357 billion) Beijing DQY Agriculture Technology Co Ltd (DQY) and Virginia-based Smithfield Foods will set up a joint venture co-run by their subsidiaries, Beijing Helee Bio-Energy (HELEE) and Murphy-Brown, DQY.

The two companies also plan to utilise wastes at more than 2,600 pig farms of the Smithfield Foods over the next 10 years, which will lead to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 21 million tons annually, four times the current yearly emission of Chicago, according to DQY. Read more ...

The US biomass industry outlook 2012

2012 should be a good year for the biomass industry in the United States, with four major biomass plants to be constructed, which will be pivotal in the expansion of wood fired power industry. Along with the coal to biomass plant conversions awaiting permits in Virginia, which could set the stage for a boom in biomass fuel use. One of the big problems is that there is too much red tape from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Bob Cleaves of the Biomass Power Association. said "We'll see gains for big projects where you have a combination of local fuel supply and strong political support". "At the same time, the weak economy, lack of demand for power and plummeting natural gas prices make it difficult to continue operations of smaller plants without long-term PPAs." Read more ...