Welcome to Forest Energy Monitor – your source of in-depth coverage of global biomass and pellet markets, investments and legislation

LEADING ARTICLES FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE…

Liquid biofuels from woody biomass - what progress?

When oil prices were still climbing towards their record highs and before the financial crisis brought them back to earth, the expectations being heaped upon second generation liquid biofuels were almost limitless. They were the environmentally benign solution to climate change, energy security and escalating food prices. Investors flocked to invest in companies with technologies that promised to produce liquid biofuels from wood and other non-food biomass at prices that could eventually compete with fossil fuels.
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The world’s largest wood pellet mill is under construction in Russia

Vyborgskaya Cellulose, a pulp and paper producer near the port of Vyborg in northwest Russia, is building what will be the world's biggest pellet mill. It will have a production capacity of 900,000 t/y, about 50% bigger than any existing pellet mill in the world. Construction is already underway and production is due to start in Q3 2010.
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The BCAP - a lesson in the law of unintended consequences

The cost of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) will reach $517 million during Q1 2010. This compares to the original Congressional estimate of just $70 million during the whole five year lifetime of the program. This colossal gap in the funding expectations of the subsidy has pushed the initiative into the political spotlight, while various unintended market implications mean the programme is now fraught with controversy.
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Biomass and pellet market analysis

It has been a cold winter in the northern hemisphere, with snow falling as far south as Florida and the Middle East and with parts of northern Europe shivering in the coldest temperatures for twenty years. So it is not surprising to hear reports from established European markets that the demand for wood pellets from existing consumers has been generally good. What is less good is that the economic recession continues negatively to affect sales of new stoves and boilers. [Read more...]

REGULAR FEATURES…

• Forest Biomass and Wood Pellet Price Indications
• Forest Biomass Feedstock Availability
• Energy and Carbon Market Briefing
• Biomass shipping & logistics
• The FEM Biomass Cofiring Index (BCI)

OTHER NEWS & ANALYSIS

• RWE Innogy invests in a 750,000 t/y pellet mill in southern Georgia, USA
  
• France’s carbon tax — a court demands some amendments
• EU report will reject Sustainability criteria for solid biomass
• Investment & Technology in brief...

FEM BIOMASS COFIRING
INDEX (BCI)

28 January 2010

€11.34/MWh

weekly change +€0.15/MWh

FEM BCI PELLET SPREAD

€14.92/MWh

weekly change +€0.03/MWh

About the BCI and Pellet Spread

Historical data (subscribers only)

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