Foreword

Dominating the bioenergy related headlines (here in the UK at least) is the resignation of Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, with his cited reason being the ongoing scandal with the country’s Renewable Heat Incentive. The scheme has been readily exploited by applicants who noticed that there was no limit to the payable subsidy for producing heat, including from biomass and biogas, nor a clause to terminate the payments in the event of the scheme closing – which it was, in February 2016 – resulting in a cost to the country of more than £1bn over the next 20 years. Investigations are underway for why no limit was implemented in the way one was implemented in the rest of the UK........  

Other News this Month Includes: 

Policy

• Moldova to receive 49 new biomass heaters
• Ireland's bioenergy prospects
• Northern Ireland's deputy first minister resigns over RHI Scandal
• UK Q3 Energy Statistics released

Markets

• Bioenergy in US to increase in 2018
• US Department of Energy reports on bioenergy employment

Biomass Heat & Power 

• Residential wood burning has greater-than-expected impact on UK emissions
• St Andrews University opens biomass plant for campus heating
• Drax given go-ahead from European Commission

Biogas

• Major UK shopping chains to fuel delivery fleet with biomethane
• Unilever claims carbon-neutrality with announcement of biomethane deal
• Africa's first grid-connected biogas plant comes online
• EnviTec looking to broaden horizons
• First bi-articulated biogas bus can carry 250 passengers
• Fish deaths blamed on AD plant
• £8m plant approved to produce biogas from Pig Manure

Energy from waste

• New AD Facility set to reduce Yorkshire Water's Emissions by 15%
• North Wales to receive waste-to-energy plant

Events

• UK AD Operating & Engineering Course
• Energy Now Expo
• All-Energy