Biomass start-ups lift Japan's Renova April power sales

Spanish Market: Biomass, Electricity
17/05/24

Japanese renewable power developer Renova's electricity sales doubled on the year in April, following the start-up of three biomass power plants in the past six months.

Renova sold 199,601MWh of electricity — including solar, biomass and geothermal — in April, double the 99,857MWh a year earlier, the company announced on 13 May.

The 75MW Sendai Gamo plant in northeastern Miyagi prefecture started operations in November 2023 and produced 40,753MWh in April. The 74.8MW Tokushima Tsuda plant in western Tokushima prefecture, which was commissioned in December 2023, generated 10,870MWh in April. The 75MW Ishinomaki Hibarino plant in Miyagi began normal runs in March and supplied 49,495MWh in April.

Renova plans to add 124.9MW biomass-fired capacity in the April 2024-March 2025 fiscal year, with the 75MW Omaezaki plant in central Shizuoka city scheduled to begin commercial operations in July, followed by the 49.9MW Karatsu plant in southern Saga city in December. Omaezaki is currently conducting trial runs and Karatsu is under construction. The additions will increase Renova's biomass-fired capacity to 445MW.

By Takeshi Maeda

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22/05/25

UK N2EX peak-load discount reaches record in May

London, 22 May (Argus) — Peak-load power on the UK's N2EX day-ahead spot market has cleared at its widest discount to the base load this month, driven by rising solar generation and falling national demand. The N2EX has cleared at £75.92/MWh ($85.66/MWh) for base load so far this month, while peak-load hours have delivered at £70.23/MWh. This is on track to be the widest peak-base discount on record in the UK, surpassing the peak discount of £4.40/MWh in August last year — which came amid record low peak demand for the month and unseasonably strong wind output. UK solar generation has averaged 7GW in peak hours so far this month, up from 6.2GW last month and 4.7GW in May last year. In these hours, solar has accounted for around 22.5pc of domestic generation, the highest share for any month on record. Embedded solar output during peak hours for the remainder of the month is currently forecast at 6.1-10.4GW, peaking on 23 May and bottoming out on 24 May. And national demand is forecast to range 16.0-22.4GW over the same period, with peak demand ranging 14.1-23.9GW. Solar output is on track to generate more power than gas-fired units during peak-load hours for the second time on record after August last year. Gas-fired generation has been 6.2GW in peak-load hours so far this month, around 800MW below solar. In comparison, peak-load gas burn was just 50MW below solar in August last year. The rise in solar generation has also continued to weigh heavily on the UK's net imports in the hours around midday. Net imports during base-load hours have stood at 3.9GW so far this month, down from 4.3GW in April and well below 4.8GW in May last year. Imports have only been around 4.6GW in settlement periods 27-28, between 13:00-14:00 local time, below 5.9GW during the same interval last year and 5.1GW in 2023. A decline in peak-load demand compared with previous years has also weighed on power prices in these hours. UK national demand has been 22GW so far in May, the lowest for the month aside from May 2020. But demand in peak hours has been around 200MW lower than in May 2020 at 21.7GW, while late-night and early morning demand has been 1GW above 2020 levels. This has largely been driven by a rapid increase in embedded solar for self-consumption in recent years, which could accelerate further with the recently passed Great British Energy Act, allocating £200mn for rooftop solar and other renewable energy schemes in 7,000 schools, hospitals and community buildings. The bulk of solar installations in the UK are between 0-4kW, totalling 1.4mn as of March and equivalent to 4.2GW, or 23pc of the UK's total solar capacity, government data shows. Some 73pc of the new solar installations in March were on residential buildings, adding a total of 68MW. And 3.3GW between transmission and distribution-connected solar projects won contracts for difference in the last allocation round held last year. Almost 1.1GW of this is due on line in 2026-27 and 2.2GW in 2027-28. By Timothy Santonastaso N2EX monthly peak-base spread £/MWh May solar output GW Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US could undermine global climate co-operation: Podesta

22/05/25

US could undermine global climate co-operation: Podesta

London, 22 May (Argus) — The global climate community will have to pay close attention to the fact that the administration of US president Donald Trump "may do whatever they can to undermine global co-operation in the energy transition" in forums such as the G7 and the UN Cop 30 climate summit, former US government climate advisor John Podesta told the Financial Times Climate and Impact Summit Europe today. "I hope people will resist them," he said, after pointing out that during Trump's first term, the US administration was "essentially… passive" on the climate on a global stage. Podesta said that through Trump's attacks on former president Joe Biden's clean energy-supporting Inflation Reduction Act , the US has "handed a victory particularly to China". The act had become an energy transition model around the world, Podesta said, pointing to the EU's Green Industrial Deal. "The way to decarbonise and deal with climate change is through investment, innovation and technology… and what we have done is thrown in the towel and thrown in the hand", he said. "There was I think, bi-partisan consensus in the US and consensus in Europe that we need to react to [China's domination in the green industry sector]," he added, saying that there is an economic security dimension with leaving China in a dominant position. Clean energy deployment in the US is likely to stay robust in the short term, he said. Some Republican state governors have raised objections to the administration's rollback of clean energy support, but business investing in that area is keeping its collective head down, Podesta said, largely because "the administration has been engaged in a process of intimidation". Podesta said that there remains significant sub-national action in the US, but warned that the Trump administration is trying to undermine that too. The administration has moved to "attack the underlying science" and the "human capital" in institutions such as US climate and weather agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Podesta said. "If you eliminate all the information sources maybe the problem goes away", he added. The government has already pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement and could withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — the UN's climate body. But there are legal issues around this, including whether the government may need a "supermajority" in the Senate, Podesta said. "The law has not been a constraint on this government," Podesta added. By Georgia Gratton, Caroline Varin & Victoria Hatherick Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Iraq signs integrated energy deal with China’s Geo-Jade

22/05/25

Iraq signs integrated energy deal with China’s Geo-Jade

Dubai, 22 May (Argus) — Iraq's oil ministry has signed an agreement with China's Geo-Jade Petroleum and local firm Basra Crescent to expand the capacity of the 20,000 b/d Tuba oil field and develop a suite of downstream and power assets, in a move that mirrors recent integrated energy deals with international partners. A key component of the South Basrah Integrated Energy Project will be to raise Tuba's production capacity to 100,000 b/d, oil minister Hayan Abdulghani said at the signing ceremony in Baghdad on 21 May. The project will also include processing of up to 50mn ft³/d of associated gas. Downstream components include a 200,000 b/d refinery, a 620,000 t/yr petrochemical plant and a 520,000 t/yr fertilizer facility. A 650MW thermal power plant and a 400MW solar plant will also be part of the project, Abdulghani said. No financial details or project timelines were disclosed. The agreement marks a further step in Geo-Jade's expansion in Iraq, following its successful participation in the country's fifth and sixth licensing rounds. While the company now holds multiple upstream assets in Iraq, it has yet to bring any into production. The deal follows a similar multi-billion dollar agreement signed with TotalEnergies in 2023 , which bundled gas processing, water treatment and solar power with development of the Ratawi field. In February this year, BP signed a major upstream deal with Iraq that also includes power, water and potentially exploration. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Q&A: US cleantech firm to start biochar plant in Quebec

21/05/25

Q&A: US cleantech firm to start biochar plant in Quebec

London, 21 May (Argus) — US cleantech manufacturer ONYM is due to commission its first commercial-size biochar plant later this year, supplying steelmaker ArcelorMittal with 15,000 t/yr of biochar, about 36,000 t/yr of dry pyrolysis oil and 10,000 t/yr of wood vinegar for its steel mill in Quebec, Canada, the firm's executive vice-president Mustapha Ouyed told Argus . The project follows the successful trial of an ONYM demonstration plant in La Tuque, Quebec, which produced 1,700 t/yr of biochar, 4,300 t/yr of dry pyrolysis oil and 1,300 t/yr of wood vinegar in 2016-19. 1. What stage is the project with ArcelorMittal currently at and when do you expect to start commissioning biochar production at the plant? Following the collaboration agreement signed with ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada, ONYM is currently producing metallurgy-grade biochar to support qualification testing. The tests will validate biochar performance for potential use in low-carbon steel production. These trials will also support the development of ONYM's first large-scale commercial facility dedicated to serving heavy industry needs. 2. What type and volumes of biomass will it use? And where will you source the raw material? The upcoming commercial facility will process approximately 80,000 t/yr of dry woody biomass. Feedstock will primarily come from forest industry residues, but ONYM is also committed to maximising the use of urban wood waste — such as tree trimming, pruning residues and clean post-industrial wood — replicating the short supply chain and circular economy approach already in place at our Montreal pilot site. 3. How much CO₂ emissions reduction will result from the use of biochar at the industrial client's site? And will you earn carbon removal credits from biochar sales? Based on current scenarios: • If our anhydrous pyrolytic oil replaces natural gas combustion and biochar replaces metallurgical coal, the potential GHG reduction could reach around 70,000 t/yr of CO₂ equivalent. • If heavy fuel oil is displaced instead, the reduction could exceed 90,000 t/yr of CO₂ equivalent. When sold to facilities regulated under Quebec's Cap-and-Trade System (SPEDE), our products generate surplus emission allowances for the buyers. The carbon value is embedded in our product pricing while remaining competitive against the total cost of using fossil alternatives such as natural gas or metallurgical coal. 4. How do you price biochar? We position our biochar at a price point that is competitive with the total cost of metallurgical coal usage, while integrating the embedded carbon reduction value. Our pricing remains lower than most comparable market offerings observed to date, supporting industrial decarbonisation at scale. 5. What technology are you using to produce biochar? ONYM's proprietary technology is based on an auger-type pyrolysis reactor operating at near-atmospheric pressure, using carbon steel balls as the heat transfer medium instead of traditional sand. This design results in lower capital and operating expenditures compared with conventional pyrolysis technologies. Unlike many systems that focus on a single output, ONYM's platform enables the simultaneous and efficient production of biochar, pyrolytic oil, renewable gases and wood vinegar, maximising biomass valorisation across multiple markets. 6. What was the outcome of your showcase plant? And what was the biochar production capacity of the project? Our Montreal showcase plant successfully achieved its design capacity of 1.2 t/hr of dry biomass processed. With full continuous operations, the plant's potential reaches approximately 2,000 t/yr of biochar. Operations validated product quality, reactor stability, and the ability to meet the stringent performance standards required by industrial sectors. 7. How many other projects are you planning, what capacity are they and when will they start operating? ONYM has secured a robust pipeline of projects across North America and internationally, with target processing capacities ranging from 80,000 t/yr to 120,000 t/yr of dry biomass per facility. Several of these projects are scheduled to materialise over the next two to three years, aiming to supply decarbonisation solutions to multiple heavy industries. 8. To which industries and geographies do you plan to supply biochar? Our focus is on heavy industry applications — including steel, cement, and metallurgy — where carbon-neutral materials can displace fossil carbon sources directly. We are also targeting the carbon credit market and emerging opportunities in sustainable agriculture. Our geographic reach prioritises Canada, the US and selective entry into European markets aligned with strong decarbonisation policies. 9. What key challenges and opportunities does ONYM see in the coming years? To accelerate decarbonisation, the availability of high-quality, carbon-negative bioenergies must scale rapidly. At ONYM, we believe it is time to move beyond pilots and prototypes — and build the infrastructure necessary to industrialise circular bioenergy production at scale. We invite industries, governments and biomass suppliers to collaborate with us to expand the volume, reach and climate impact of these essential solutions. By Marta Imarisio Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Thailand's Banpu adopts biomass co-firing in China

21/05/25

Thailand's Banpu adopts biomass co-firing in China

Singapore, 21 May (Argus) — Thailand's mining and power generation conglomerate Banpu plans to adopt biomass co-firing for all its combined heat and power plants (CHPs) in northern China. It has fully implemented 10pc biomass co-firing at its coal-fired Zhengding power plant. The plant has a total installed capacity of 139MW electrical (MWe), including a power generation capacity of 73MW and steam production output at 370 t/hr. The type of biomass used at this plant could not be immediately ascertained, and Banpu did not respond to a request for comment. Banpu's Zouping CHP, with a combined capacity of 233MWe, 125MW of power and steam output at 600 t/hr, is "undergoing commissioning", the company said. Its plans to co-fire with biomass at the 246MWe Luannan coal-fired plant is in the "bidding phase," the company added. The plant has a power capacity of 150MW and steam production output at 538 t/hr. The move to boost biomass co-firing at its operations in China is part of the company's plans to reduce carbon emissions and earn revenue from carbon emission allowances (CEAs)— a type of carbon credit or emission permit, giving rights to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases within a carbon market. CEAs are part of a "cap-and-trade" system, designed to reduce overall emissions. Higher earnings from CEAs from its Chinese plants and cost management in the coal business lifted its net profit in the first quarter. Banpu reported a net profit of 574mn baht ($17.3mn) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation in the first quarter, up by 19pc from the same period in 2024. By Nadhir Mokhtar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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