Biomass World

South Korea to meet 5 million ton wood pellets demand in 2020 with 75% energy imports

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:18:01 +0000

In an effort to promote its vision of “low carbon, green growth”, the South Korean Government is aiming for a sustainable economic growth through energy minimization and resource consumption. This would thereby minimize CO₂ emissions. To achieve its aim developing and implementing the use of domestic new and renewable energy technology is the government’s basic plan. Currently, 97% of the energy consumed in South Korea is imported. The targeted percentage of new and renewable energy for 2020 and 2030 are 6.1% and 11.5% respectively.

The government’s decision in 2010 was eight new plants for manufacturing wood pellets. 63% of the land in South Korea is forested, which makes it feasible to use the forest biomass, and simultaneously make employment creation and environment protection possible. It is expected that the demand will reach 5 million tons in 2020, through the expanding use of wood pellets for electricity generation and heat for boilers. Since domestic supply alone cannot cater to the demand, 75% will be imported. South Korea imported woodpellets from 9 countries in 2009, including China, Canada and Vietnam.

In depth information on securing wood pellets and other agriculture-derived biomass supply from Southeast Asia (Palm Kernel Shell (PKS), Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB), Palm Pellets, Sugar Bagasse, etc) will be discussed at CMT’s 3^rd Biomass Pellets Trade Asia to be held in Seoul on 12-13 September.

Conference agenda is currently being finalized and will be available shortly. For further queries, email Ms. Hafizah at hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg or Pre-Register for the conference now.

Read complete article here.

Biomass industry’s most influential players are convening at this week’s 3rd Biomass Trade & Power conference in Brussels!

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:58:30 +0000

CMT’s 3rd Biomass Trade & Power is all poised to be an important industry-networking platform, with an excellent mix of participants coming from key sectors across the industry value chain. Here is a breakdown of attendee profiles:

Attendees are all looking forward to 2 days of meaningful exchanges with industry’s most influential names and many top executives from Europe and beyond!

Those interested to participate can still register online here or email hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg for details.

Speaker Profile: Ms. Pia Kåll, Associate Principal, McKinsey & Company

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:37:24 +0000

Pia Kåll is an Associate Principal based in McKinsey’s Helsinki office. She is part of the core leadership group for McKinsey’s Bio-systems service line, with special focus on developing biomass to energy.

Pia has focused her work primarily on biomass related topics in the energy and forest products industries, ranging from asset and fuel strategies for biomass and waste fired power and heat assets for energy utilities, strategies for new biomaterials in the pulp and paper industry, and growth strategies for equipment providers. Pia has served companies mainly in the Nordics, Russia and continental Europe.

Pia has a Masters degree in Engineering Physics and Mathematics from Helsinki University of Technology. Before joining McKinsey Pia worked as a research assistant on Fusion and plasma physics.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
09:00 Chairman’s Welcome & Remarks
16:50 Biomass to Energy Sourcing Economics

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Mr. Alexandre Strapasson, PhD Researcher, Energy Policy & Technology, Imperial College London – Centre for Environmental Policy

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:35:33 +0000

Alexandre Strapasson is PhD Researcher at Imperial College London. He works with energy and environmental sciences, focused on bioenergy, and is also Chairman of the Imperial College Brazil Forum. Among his professional experiences he worked at the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture as Head of the Department of Sugarcane and Agroenergy and Chairman of the Sugar and Ethanol Chamber, which is responsible for the political articulation between government and the industrial and farming associations.

He also worked at the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil (MMA) as Consultant of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for energy and climate change affairs. He studied Agronomy Engineering at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and took a Masters in Energy at the University of São Paulo (USP), with additional studies in Physics at the University of Brasilia (UnB), in Climate Change at the Japan Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC) in Tokyo, and in Economics and Management at the IFP Energies Nouvelles in Paris, where he is also occasionally teaching.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
09:10 Global Growth in Biomass Based Power Generation & Trade/Demand Updates
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
09:00 Chairman’s Welcome & Remarks

Speaker Profile: Mr. Piotr M. Nowak, Manager – Foreign Solid Fuels Trading Department, Weglokoks S.A.

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:29:36 +0000

Born in Katowice, Poland in 1955. Studied languages, international law and management. Joined Weglokoks in 1979. Responsible for deliveries of Polish coal to USSR. Spent 5 years in Moscow (1989 – 1995) as the Head of Weglokoks Representative Office. Upon returning nominated as the Head of Eastern Sales Department, supervising sales of steam and coking coals to Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Czech Republic.

From 2006 to September 2008 Member of the Board of Polske uhli, a.s., a Weglokoks’ daughter company in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In October 2008 appointed as the Head of newly created Coal Purchasing Department, European Markets, mainly covering supplies from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan – both rail and seaborne.

As of October 2010 this Department has also been responsible for biomass trading and subsequently renamed to Foreign Solid Fuels Trading Department.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
09:10 b) Poland

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Dr. Yves Ryckmans, Chief Technology Officer Biomass, Electrabel – Laborelec

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:23:49 +0000

Yves Ryckmans graduated from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, and conducted a PhD study at the same university on modeling heat transfer in furnaces by finite elements techniques. In 1989, he joined Laborelec research Centre of Electrabel as a research engineer in the field of nuclear energy.

From 1996 on, he initiated the development of fixed bed gasification and CFB gasification of wood through several Belgian and European projects. In 1999 he became Head of the Biomass Competence Centre of Electrabel at Laborelec. This competence centre covers more than 15 years technical issues like co-firing biomass in pulverised-coal power plants, biomass gasification, biomass fuel quality, biogas applications and biomass sustainability verification. His R&D efforts were focused on CFD modeling of PC boilers, slagging and fouling, NOx and SOx emissions, biomass milling and upgrading, ESP, ash quality and utilisation, as well as the verification of sustainability criteria for solid biomass.

Currently, Yves Ryckmans is Chief Technology Officer Biomass at Laborelec. As such, he is managing research and services for bio-energy applications within GDF SUEZ Group.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
09:10 c) Progress on Initiative Wood Pellets Buyers’ Initiative on Sustainability & Specifications for Industrial Wood Pellets

Speaker Profile: Mr. Michael Paik, General Counsel, EnerOne, Inc.

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:18:25 +0000

Michael Paik is General Counsel and Senior Vice President of EnerOne, Korea’s leading waste-to-energy enterprise, with proprietary technologies in heat generation. The company’s core business is the manufacture, installation and operation of heat-generating machines and equipment for the production and management of steam and electricity.

In his twenty years of professional experience in consulting and law practice, Michael has served as consultant or counsel for some of Korea’s most prominent companies, and has assisted Korean, European and US clients in venture capital, public offering, and merger transactions valued in the billions of dollars. Michael has also represented numerous start-up companies, as well as leading venture capital, private equity and investment banking firms. As part of his practice at Hanol Law Offices, Michael served in various client management positions, including as General Counsel of Hankook Tire Company, Ltd. and the STX Group.

From 2004, Michael has been teaching corporate law and technology transactions as a professor at Yonsei University’s College of Law, The Republic of Korea’s Judicial Research & Training Institute and Seoul National University’s College of Engineering, where he has also served as Director of Technology Incubation and Chief Technology Officer for the university’s research and development foundation.

From 2002, Michael has served in various public positions, including as an elected member representing Silicon Valley to the board of directors for the California Young Lawyers’ Association, and legal advisor to the Korean Venture Capital Association, the Korean Nurses’ Association and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority.

Michael received his BA (Economics, 1991) from Syracuse University, MBA (Finance,1995) from Yale University and his JD from Columbia University’s School of Law. He is qualified in both New York and California, where he practiced with Cahill, Gordon & Reindel and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, respectively.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
11:20 Meeting Korea’s RPS 2012 – Outlook of Biomass to Power

Speaker Profile: Mr. Ric Hoefnagels, Researcher, Energy & Resources, Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:14:13 +0000

Ric Hoefnagels (MSc) is a researcher at the Energy & Resources group of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University since 2008. He has been involved in many bioenergy projects, including macro-economic effects of bioenergy and biobased materials on a national level in the Netherlands and European and international projects on biomass potentials, trade and sustainability criteria of solid biomass.

Furthermore, he has experience with greenhouse gas balances of biofuels, technological learning and CO2 capture and storage. He has frequently worked for IEA Bioenergy Task 40, amongst others on the development of a comprehensive GIS-based logistic model to analyze intra-European biomass trade.

He is also a member of the Biobench consortium, which recently advised the European Commission on the introduction of mandatory sustainability criteria for solid biomass and possible implications for bioenergy trade.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
12:10 Insights of Global Trade Flow (Limiting Factors, Cost Structures, etc)

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Mr. Shanmugam Pattu, Director, Cetex Energy Generation Co Pvt Ltd

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:14:01 +0000

Mr. S Pattu is a Mechanical Engineer from University of Madras and is a Fellow of various professional bodies like the Institution of Engineers & American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has worked in Senior capacities in ICI Group, Nagarjuna Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd, and Nagarjuna Steels Ltd etc before taking up an assignment at Indonesia as CEO of Heavy Engineering Company in the Texmaco/Polysyndo Group. He has hands on experience in setting up of power plant, management of Fertilizer, Petrochemicals & Steel plants.

After returning from Indonesia he was head of the automobile business of the well known HINDUSTAN MOTORS Ltd before assuring the office of Chairman of Cetex Petrochemicals Ltd. An entrepreneur with diverse interests in agri based edible oil, power and overseas business associations.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
11:45 Current Situation in India on Renewable Biomass Power Generation

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Ms. Edita Vagonyte, European Affairs Manager, European Biomass Association – AEBIOM

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:08:07 +0000

Edita Vagonyte is currently working as European Affairs manager for AEBIOM, the European Biomass Association.

She started work at Renewable Energy House in spring 2006. Since then Ms Vagonyte has been in charge of the European Affairs and Communication divisions within the Brussels office. Prior to joining AEBIOM, Edita temporarily worked for the European Commission, DG Communication.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
14:00 Efforts of the European Pellet Council & Progress on Industrial Adoption of ENplus Pellet Certification Scheme

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Dr. Marieke Harteveld, Consultant Bioenergy & Biobased Economy, Ecofys Netherlands BV

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:05:53 +0000

Dr. Marieke Harteveld has over 8 years of experience in environmental issues and sustainable biomass production. Marieke holds a PhD in Tropical Ecology from the University of Göttingen. During her PhD, Marieke gained knowledge of forest conservation and soil carbon management.

She recently joined the Ecofys bio-energy team after working for five years at NL-Agency, the Dutch Governmental Agency for Climate and Innovation. At NL agency she worked on sustainability issues related to bioenergy and biofuels, among other things preparing the Dutch input for the development of the sustainability criteria within the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP). Further she represented the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment in the advisory board for the development of the NTA8080 certification standard for sustainable bio-energy (the implementation of the Cramer criteria) and was involved in preparing the Dutch input for the development of the RED.

In addition to her work on biomass sustainability, Marieke worked for the Dutch Biorenewables Business Platform, focusing on strategy development, building partnerships, facilitateing project start-ups and advising the Dutch government on the sustainable development of the biobased economy in the Netherlands. At Ecofys she works as a consultant within the Biomass & Bioenergy Unit, supporting both policy development as the development of corporate strategies regarding the sustainable sourcing and use of biomass.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
14:25 Latest on Sustainability Criterias for Solid Biomass & iLUC

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Dr. Mairi Black, Biomass Sustainability Development Manager, Drax Power Ltd

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:02:13 +0000

Dr. Mairi Black has 20 years of commercial and academic experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, with specific application to non-food uses of plant/marine derived materials (industrial and pharmaceutical uses). She has worked for Reckitt and Benckiser, Du Pont (UK) Ltd, the UK agricultural levy board HGCA and has been working on biofuels/biomass policy, GHG LCA and sustainability analysis of biomass materials since 2004.

Mairi has a B.Sc (Hons) in Horticulture (1991); a PhD (2000) on “The physico-chemical structure of the polysaccharides of Plantago ovata Forsk.” and worked as a Research Associate for the Porter Alliance at Imperial College from 2008 – 2011.

Mairi joined Drax Power Ltd in April 2011 as Biomass Sustainability Development Manager and is involved in the practical implementation of sustainability principles in biomass supply chains.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
14:50 LCA & Sustainability of Solid Biomass for UK’s Power Generation

Speaker Profile: Mr. Robin Post van der Burg, Director, Business Development, Topell Energy BV

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:59:59 +0000

After working for almost 10 years in various positions for Arco Chemical and Lyondell in the Netherlands, the USA and the UK, Robin repatriated to Amsterdam to realize his ambition of becoming an entrepreneur.

He founded Topell Energy in 2006 together with partner WWE, a renewable energy investor; in May 2008 RWE Innogy invested to become the third shareholder. Robin is Director of Business Development in Topell Energy and responsible for strategic partnerships and roll out.

Robin holds a MSc. in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology and a MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
15:50 Torrefied Pellets Production Value Chain

Speaker Profile: Mr. Thomas Meth, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Enviva LP

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:57:25 +0000

Thomas Meth is a co-founder of Enviva LP and leads the global sales and marketing team, developing wood pellet and wood chip supply strategies and contracts for utility, industrial and commercial customers both in the U.S. and Europe. Through his efforts, annual production and sales grew to nearly one million metric tons of woody biomass in 2011. He is responsible for Enviva’s commercial customer relations as well as marketing, communications and public relations initiatives.

Previously, Thomas focused on the sales and customer development efforts of Enviva’s combined heat and power business, leading to multiple long-term contracts and an operational footprint in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Today, Enviva has manufacturing facilities in Mississippi and North Carolina, as well as Belgium, with storage and Transatlantic export capabilities at the company-owned deep water port terminal in Virginia.

Thomas holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration in Austria as well as an M.B.A. from The Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at The University of Virginia.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
16:15 Outlook of US Wood Pellets Supply & Cost Competitiveness of Supply to EU & Other Demand Markets

Speaker Profile: Mr. Ronald Meijer, Managing Principal Clean Fossil Power, KEMA Netherlands Ltd

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:55:24 +0000

Ronald Meijer, has 20 years experience as a senior consultant and project manager for thermal conversion processes focusing on coal, co-firing, biomass, and fuel and flue gas clean-up processes. Recently he has been involved in several major international European and U.S. projects investigating the technical and economical feasibility of biomass co-firing and repowering.

Since 1991 he has been involved in the initiation, evaluation and development of projects into (new) thermal conversion technologies focused on increased efficiency and a reduction of investment costs for power production in combination with fossil and non-fossil (biomass, waste) conversion. In recent years he has been actively involved in many European and US projects addressing strategic decision making on the technical and economical feasibility of biomass and clean fossil power projects for these clients.

He is responsible for KEMA’s activities in the field of Clean Fossil Power and actively involved in these projects as a project manager and senior consultant. This includes issues such as biomass co-firing, full coal to biomass conversion, new clean conversion technologies, emission management, and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 2 – Thursday, February 23
17:15 Co-firing & full conversion from Coal to Biomass: Assessment of Fuel Alternatives

Speaker Profile: Mr. Jonas Wilde, Director, Biomass Sourcing Project Development, Vattenfall AB

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:52:44 +0000

Jonas Wilde’s current main responsibility is Vattenfall’s long term large scale sourcing of biomass as well as development of technology for producing refined biomass with the purpose of replacing hard coal with biomass for production of heat and power.

During 22 years at Vattenfall Mr Wilde has been active in many areas primarily within R&D and business development: rational use of energy, peat and biomass for heat and power production, product development of customer communication systems, standardisation of instrumentation and control systems and development of increased use of biomass in primarily coal plants.

Other assignments include responsible of product development of IT-based services within the care-sector at Rivermen AB.

Mr Wilde earned his BSc in Bachelor of Science Energy and Building installations technology at the University of Karlstad.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
09:05 Africa’s Biomass Focus – on On-Going Projects, Infrastructure, Investment & Trade

3RD BIOMASS TRADE & POWER 2012 conference guarantees insights on maximizing potential of biomass feedstocks for power, biofuels & chemicals production from palm biomass, sugar cane bagasse, cassava waste, rubber wood residues, rice husk, saw dust and algae.

Speaker Profile: Mr. Rob Verheem, Deputy Director, Netherlands Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (NCEA)

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:49:14 +0000

Rob Verheem is deputy director of the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment. This Commission – a private foundation, subsidized by Dutch government – has a legal mandate for independent quality review of impact assessments in the Netherlands. In international cooperation, the Commission is involved in both independent quality assurance of impact assessment and capacity development in EIA and strategic EIA, subsidized by Dutch government. Rob is heading the international activities.

Rob Verheem has over 20 years of practice experience in Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment, both in developed and developing countries. Before, Rob Verheem worked at the European Commission and the Ministry of the Environment in the Netherlands. He has published extensively, including co-author of the 1996 SEA Effectiveness Study, co-author of the 2010 SEA in policy and sector reform book and co-editor of the 2011 SEA Handbook. In 2004 Rob won the Individual Award of the International Association for Impact Assessment. Rob is member of the OECD DAC SEA task team and the advisory committee of the Hong Kong SEA Center.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
09:05 Africa’s Biomass Focus – on On-Going Projects, Infrastructure, Investment & Trade

Speaker Profile: Mr. Johan Granath, Head of Bioenergy, Ekman & Co AB

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:46:16 +0000

Johan Granath has a degree in International Business from the Gothenburg School of Economics and Law. He started his career at General Electric Capital and joined Ekman & Co in 1998. After 10 years in credit and finance, he started Ekman’s trade in biomass in 2008.

Johan is now Head of the Bioenergy Division at Ekman & Co and a member of the corporate management team.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
10:55 Update of Vyborgskaya Cellulose Pellet Plant & Distinction Between Working with an Agent & Trader

Speaker Profile: Mr. Michael Wild, Principal, Wild & Partners KG

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:43:41 +0000

Michael Wild, economist and engineer by education, is active in renewable energies for practically his entire 24 years professional career. He has pioneered Biomass fired district heating systems in Austria and conversion of coal fired systems to biomass in former socialist countries.

The first internet based biomass trading platform (ABEX) was started by him in 1999. Until 2010 he led the international biomass trading company EBES. From 2007 he took a leading position in torrefaction technology development forming also a consortium with Andritz AG.

Today he is acting in project development, as supply chain consultant and represents selected producers in both torrefied and regular biomasses.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
11:20 Torrefied Biomass/Pellets – Finally it is Happening

Speaker Profile: Mr. Patrick de Jamblinne, CEO, Tuzetka (2ZK)

admin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:40:15 +0000

Since 1990, Patrick de Jamblinne has mostly worked in Central and Eastern Europe. He speaks, Czech, Slovak, Russian, English and Dutch in addition to his French mother-tongue. His 4 years expertise is in the development of business opportunities in Central Europe, the Balkans in close collaboration with local stake holders and biomass owners.

Patrick is devoted to European integration, the development of bio-resources and is working on the certifications schemes.

3rd Biomass Trade & Power 2012 Brussels Speaker
Day 3 – Friday, February 24
11:45 Bioenergy Development in Central Europe & Supply Chain of Biomass Pellets (Woody and Agricultural Residues)