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Chip Chip Hooray!
Organizers of the fourth Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo announce that one of the themes of the event will be entitled CHIP CHIP HOORAY! and emphasize speakers and exhibits that address technologies and developments in in-woods chippers, grinders, mulchers, biomass processing accessories, and transportation to markets.
“It’s a natural addition to our event,” states Rich Donnell, conference co-chairman, and editor-in-chief of Wood Bioenergy magazine, which is the primary media host of the event. “Our previous events certainly have touched on elements of in-wood technologies, but we’ve been asked many times to provide a more significant discussion forum for it, and here it is.”
Donnell says CHIP CHIP HOORAY! will complement the other main themes of the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, namely wood pellets (industrial and heating), and biomass power generation.
Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo will be held once again at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, April 5-6, 2016 in the Grand Ballroom North.
“If you’ve been to the event, you know that the Grand Ballroom North includes three large meeting rooms which run all day with presentations,” Donnell says. “CHIP CHIP HOORAY! and its presentations will be devoted to one of those rooms. Meanwhile, chipper and grinder manufacturers will exhibit on the exhibitor floor along with manufacturers and suppliers from other segments of the wood bioenergy industry.”
Donnell says the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo will now fully cover the wood energy sector, from in-woods developments to pellet manufacturing, biomass power generation and domestic and international markets.
The event will attract 400 attendees, spotlight 75 exhibitors and feature 50 speakers.
The conference is still accepting presentation proposals. Contact Rich Donnell, e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com.
For exhibitor information, contact Fred Kurpiel, e-mail: fredkurpiel@aol.com.
Visit bioenergyshow.com
Drax's Madden Will Speak In Atlanta
Organizers of the fourth Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo announce that Drax Biomass CEO Peter Madden will be one of the keynoters of the event to be held April 5-6, 2016 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Madden joined Drax earlier this year, bringing with him nearly 30 years of experience in the forestry industry. He oversees North America operations for Drax, including the current startup of wood pellet facilities in Gloster, Miss. and Bastrop, La., as well as a new Drax facility at the Port of Baton Rouge.
Before coming to Drax, Madden was vice president of Renewable Energy and Supply Chain for Plum Creek Timber Co. Madden began his career in forestry in 1988 as a field technician with the Westvaco Corp. in South Carolina. In 1992, he joined Georgia-Pacific Corp. where he held various positions including operations manager, procurement manager and senior financial analyst.
“To say that Peter’s background in wood fiber is well versed is a major understatement,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo. “His appearance in Atlanta will coincide with the boosted pellet capacity of the new Drax plants.”
Strauss Will Lead Panel Discussion
William Strauss, internationally renown consultant to the wood pellet and biomass power industries, will participate in the fourth Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, and lead a panel discussion on “Co-Firing Wood Pellets with Coal to Achieve Carbon Emissions Reductions.”
The event will be held April 5-6, 2016 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The Strauss panel of experts will discuss a low cost and reliable power plant solid fuel solution that is job-creating and unites the economic and environmental interests of all of the key stakeholders including policymakers, the forest products industry, pellet producers, coal producers, utilities and the public.
Strauss, who is the president of FutureMetrics, has been at the forefront of a growing movement in the U.S. to mix wood pellets with coal in existing coal plants. His papers on the subject have been published and presented worldwide.
“Bill’s consulting and technical expertise, and his overall understanding of the developing wood pellet and power generation markets worldwide put him at the top of the field,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo. “We’re fortunate to have him in the Atlanta program.”
Highland Pellets Orders Astec Line
Astec Industries, Inc. has entered into an agreement and received a related downpayment to build, deliver and install the first production line of a new turnkey wood pellet production facility for Highland Pellets, LLC at Pine Bluf, Ark.
The $30 million agreement with Highland Pellets includes the option to add additional production lines, related equipment and installation services, which could bring the total order amount to $143 million. Astec expects to deliver the first production line and related equipment no later than early 2016.
Commenting on the announcement, Benjamin Brock, CEO of Astec, states, “We are pleased to announce this $30 million order for the first production line of a planned multi-line wood pellet plant facility. Highland Pellets has been great to work with on this agreement and we look forward to a long-term relationship with them.”
Although Astec has received an order and a downpayment on the first $30 million portion of the facility, the remaining $113 million worth of goods and services is optional.
Astec promotes its modular design and replicated parallel production lines. One of its pellet production lines has been running at Fram Renewable Fuels in Hazlehurst, Ga., with a second line in place and a third line expected to come on, which would give Fram 400,000 tons of production. One of the advantages of the parallel production lines is said to be the avoidance of a total production shutdown due to any one major equipment outage.
Highland Pellets reports it has rail and truck delivery options to Port Arthur, and that its site is cleared for construction.
MGT Teesside Project Moves Forward
MGT Teesside, a subsidiary of UK’s MGT Power, has selected Abengoa, an international company that applies technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environment sectors, and Toshiba Corp., to build the Tees Renewable Energy Plant at the Port of Teesside, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom. Abengoa reports this will be the world’s newest and largest biomass power plant with a capacity of 299 MW of electricity and steam, both for self-sufficiency and to be exported to nearby industry and users.
Abengoa will be responsible for carrying out the engineering, design and construction of the plant. During the construction phase, up to 1,100 jobs are expected to be created.
This project will use wood pellets and chips from certified sustainable forestry resources from the U.S. and Europe as fuel, and will be audited to ensure compliance with the strict criteria established by the UK’s incentives for renewable energy. The plant will supply renewable energy for the equivalent of at least 600,000 households in the UK.
Abengoa has now been awarded the construction of two power and steam biomass plants in less than a year, the other being a 215 MW plant in Ghent, Belgium.
MGT Teesside Ltd. began serious application back in 2008 to build a 295 MW plant. As recently as this past June, MGT submitted a slightly revised application to the Dept. of Energy & Climate Change, asking for an increase in permitted generating capacity by 4 MW up to 299 MW to allow for the installation of the preferred capacity CFB (circulating fluidized bed) boiler.
The June application also addresses the fuel strategy, noting the use of wood pellets in combination with wood chips, and also ensuring the best design for fuel handling and storage given fire and explosion risks. It also includes a provision for the inclusion of a wood chip dryer on site.
Savannah River Site Plans Enhancement
In May senior officials from the U.S. Dept. of Energy and Ameresco, Inc. gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the start of a new project for a biomass heating plant at DOE’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, SC. The new biomass plant represents a modification (Phase II) to DOE’s original Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) executed in 2009 for construction of the 20 MW biomass cogeneration facility currently operated and maintained by Ameresco at SRS.
The new plant will be located in the southeast corner of the existing 35 acre Ameresco site. The heating plant will include a new biomass fueled boiler and relocation of the existing package boiler to a new enclosed building. Ameresco also will install a new truck tipper and fuel handing system to facilitate the biomass deliveries. The steam produced from the new plant will be supplied throughout SRS’s existing distribution system. Providing steam from this new plant will allow for the existing biomass cogeneration facility to direct more steam to the turbine generator resulting in approximately 3-4 MW of additional power for SRS.
During its first three years of operation the existing biomass facility has generated approximately 5.8 billion pounds of steam, more than 1,400 million pounds of steam exported in support of Site operations, and more than 330,000 MW of electricity.
Under the ESPC modification, Ameresco will provide turnkey Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services for the new plant and equipment over the 20-year performance period of the contract. Ameresco also will purchase additional woody biomass from local and regional providers to support the new plant’s operations.
Construction on the project is beginning and the plant is scheduled to be operational in spring 2016. The existing biomass cogeneration facility will continue its normal operations during construction of the new plant.
API Puts Alpena Biorefinery On Hold
American Process Inc. reports that due to a low ethanol price environment, the small size of its pre-commercial facility, and a limited feedstock supply, it has temporarily suspended ethanol production at the Alpena Biorefinery in Alpena, Mich. The Alpena Biorefinery continues to operate the site’s waste water treatment facility.
The Alpena Biorefinery was developed by API adjacent the existing Decorative Panels International (DPI) hardboard manufacturing plant. The biorefinery broke ground in the spring of 2011 and started commissioning in May 2012.
API reports it is undertaking a rigorous strategic review of the Alpena asset, and exploring various options that would allow the company to restart the facility.
Largest Biomass Load Reaches Immingham
Associated British Ports reports the world’s largest ever single shipment of biomass has been discharged on the quayside at it Humber International Terminal (HIT) at the Port of Immingham, with onward transit to Drax power station.
Almost 60,000 tonnes of wood pellets were unloaded from the POPI S – the first time such cargo has been carried by a Panamax-class vessel. The ship was loaded at the Westview Terminal in Prince Rupert, British Columbia on June 2, before making the 34-day journey to Immingham.
The pellets were discharged using ABP’s bespoke continuous ship unloaders, which feed the product onto a conveyor system connected to Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal (IRFT), where it was stored in eight silos, each capable of holding 25,000 tonnes of biomass, before being loaded onto trains for the final part of its journey.
The shipment forms part of ABP’s Humber-wide agreement with Drax Power Ltd.
Greenleaf Purchases Plainfield Renewable
Greenleaf Power has finalized the purchase of the Plainfield Renewable Energy Plant located in Plainfield, Conn. The acquisition marks Greenleaf Power’s sixth acquisition in North America.
Plainfield Renewable Energy has a net electricity generation capacity of 37.5 MW. The facility uses clean biomass as its fuel and sells its electrical output to Connecticut Light and Power under a long-term offtake agreement.
Greenleaf Power’s existing facilities are located in California and Quebec, Canada.
Greenleaf Power purchased the Plainfield facility from Leidos, Inc., which has owned and operated the plant since it became operational in late 2013. The project was originally under development by a subsidiary of Enova Energy Group.
BE&E Announces Personnel Moves
Biomass Engineering and Equipment has promoted Tony Nguyen to Director of Engineering where he will guide further growth of personnel and development of skills. Alan Koers has joined the engineering team to fill the position of controls and robotics engineer.
Company President Dane Floyd states, “Though Tony is a relatively recent addition to the company, he clearly and quickly earned this promotion. It is wonderful to see a person work so hard and with such focus to achieve his goals.
“We have been searching for the right person to fill the new robotics position, passing over many candidates. Alan brings just the right balance of diverse background, skills and drive to run with this position. Our customers will soon see great things from this fellow!”
Rentech Reorganizes Leadership
Rentech, Inc. announced organizational changes designed to improve the operations and execution capabilities of its fiber operations. Steve Roberts, managing director of Canada, who has led the team responsible for establishing and maintaining customer and commercial relationships for Rentech’s industrial wood pellet business, will now also lead growth initiatives for this segment of the fiber business. Roberts has an extensive background in the forest industry with experience in operations management, biomass supply chain management and business development.
Sean Ebnet is no longer serving as the senior vice president of wood fiber.
Dennis Corn, vice president of projects, is responsible for overseeing the completion of the Wawa and Atikokan (Ontario) wood pellet plant projects to full production capacity. Corn is working with Rentech teams on the ground in Ontario and a newly engaged independent engineering firm to identify and resolve the issues limiting full production of the Canadian projects.
Kevin Cain will now serve as vice president of the wood chipping business with focus on improving operating and financial performance at all 26 U.S. Fulghum Fibres mills, along with growing Fulghum’s wood chipping business in North America.
Mark Wilson, CEO of New England Wood Pellet (NEWP), will continue to manage NEWP’s four operating facilities and grow NEWP through acquisitions of wood pellet facilities in the commercial heating market.
Roberts, Corn, Cain and Wilson report to Keith Forman, president and CEO of Rentech. Forman states, “These changes mark the beginnings of reorganizing Rentech. With the pending sale of our largest fertilizer asset, we are transitioning to a simpler, more cost-efficient organization model.”
In early August Rentech provided updates on its Atikokan and Wawa projects. The Atikokan facility has completed commissioning and is in the ramp-up phase. It experienced a transformer failure and was using a temporary transformer. In the third quarter Renteck intends to install a larger permanent transformer that will allow Atikokan to operate at full rates. In spite of the temporary transformer with lower capacity and some material handling equipment issues, the company reports that the ramp-up phase at Atikokan has been proceeding better than its forecasts. During ramp-up, Rentech identified the need to replace or repair the truck dump conveyor and hopper at the facility, and the need to modify some of the conveyors at the plant. Atikokan may still reach full capacity in February 2016; however, the timing could shift by several months depending on the degree of modifications needed to correct the material handling equipment issues and any other possible issues that may arise.
Most of the equipment at the Wawa facility has been commissioned and the plant is producing a limited quantity of wood pellets. However, Rentech reports it will need to modify the front end system of the facility that handles logs and feeds them into the chipper, and modify or replace a significant portion of the conveyors that handle chips and pellets. These issues are preventing Rentech from ramping up the plant to expected production levels, according to Rentech.
Rentech says correcting these problems will increase total expected project spending for the Canadian pellet plants to approximately $145 million. Taking into account the time required to correct the log infeed equipment and conveyance systems, Rentech now expects the Wawa facility to operate at full capacity in the second half of 2016.
Due to the expected delays in production at the Wawa facility, Rentech again amended its delivery commitments under its contract with Drax. In August, Rentech canceled all 240,000 tonnes of wood pellet deliveries in 2015 that it had agreed to in February. The August amendment provided for a comprehensive settlement amount of approximately $2.6 million to compensate Drax for all canceled deliveries.
ReEnergy Adds Rising As Health-Safety Mgr.
ReEnergy Holdings named Mark Rising as health and safety manager. Rising has more than 30 years of experience in industrial health and safety management. Before joining ReEnergy, he worked as a safety specialist at PSEG Bethlehem Energy Center. Prior to that, he was a program safety manager supporting Antarctica mission locations for the 109th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard, based at the Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY. He also worked at General Electric, Foster Wheeler, and Plug Power. He began his career in the U.S. Navy in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion program.
Rising will implement health and safety policies, procedures and training activities for employees and contractors. ReEnergy’s health and safety program includes regular health and safety inspections; risk assessment and mitigation processes; a job safety analysis program; a behavioral-based safety program; quarterly safety improvement projects; and facility safety committees.
Hurst Boiler Founder Gene Hurst Dies
Clifton Eugene (Gene) Hurst, founder of the Hurst Boiler & Welding Company, Coolidge, Ga., died peacefully on July 22. He was 79.
An entrepreneur, skilled engineer, and devoted family man, Hurst is remembered for his kindness, dedication, vision and inexhaustible will. Not only did he grow Hurst Boiler into one of the world’s leading boiler companies, but he helped to transform the boiler industry through innovation.
“We lost one of the greatest men to ever live, a man adored by many, a man of true character, a man that meant so much to so many...my hero, best friend and my grandfather,” says Chad Fletcher, Hurst’s grandson and Hurst Boiler’s Director of Aftermarket Parts and Sales.
Hurst started his family business in 1967 with his wife Edna in a shop behind their home in Thomasville, Ga. He moved the business to its present location in Coolidge in 1970, where the company today successfully manufactures a full line of solid waste, wood, gas, coal and oil fired steam and hot water boilers and related equipment in a 314,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility on 17 acres.
Forty-eight years later, the business Hurst began remains in the family, currently under the direction of the Hurst children: Tommy, Hayward, Teri and Jeff. It is the largest employer in the area, maintaining more than 350 employees at full production capacity.
Hurst attributed his success to his faith, his family’s support, and the dedication of the Hurst Boiler team and customers.
“Anyone who knew him, in whatever capacity, would certainly agree he was a kind, humble and inspiring individual who cared deeply for his family and the people who worked for him,” says Jeff Hurst, Gene’s youngest son and Hurst Boiler’s Director of Marketing.
In 2007 he was awarded the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to his community.
Van Horn Joins Baxley/Price LogPro
Tom Van Horn has accepted the position of Capital Sales Account Manager for Baxley Holdings.
Van Horn has worked in the sawmill industry for more than 23 years, starting with HEMCO as a field service technician in 1992. He moved to Hi-Tech Engineering as field service technician and PLC programmer. In 2004 he went to work for well known southern pine lumber producer, Jordan Lumber Company. At Jordan he filled many key roles ranging from technology manager, capital projects manager and operations manager during his 11 years there.
Van Horn’s extensive background in PLCs and real world mill experience is a huge asset and will help Baxley Equipment/Price LogPro communicate with their customers.
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