Tag Archives: alternative
Teyssen Deplores Politicians’ Failure To Uphold ETS
01/05/2013 By Diarmaid Williams International Digital Editor The head of E.ON (FWB: EOAN ) has been heavily critical of European politicians for their failure to maintain the EU emissions trading system (ETS). Speaking to Suddeutsche Zeitung, Johannes Teyssen said that anyone who claims Europe is a pioneer of climate protection “should be ashamed. Earlier this month the scheme was thrown into crisis as MEPs voted narrowly to block reforms designed to push up the price of carbon allowances. The parliament voted by 334-315 to reject the proposed ‘backloading’ plan, which was designed to tackle the chronic oversupply in the market by withholding the auctioning of 900 million carbon allowances that are due to be released later this year. Teysson is demanding urgent action to revive the ETS, which was designed to protect the environment by making low carbon investment more competitive. “European emissions trading is a patient on his deathbed; either we cure him quickly, or he dies,” said Teysson. “And that would have unpredictable negative consequences, not only for climate protection.” With pollution rights so cheap, said Teysson, “money flows back into an economy that is supposed to soon be history.” Continue reading
Liquidator To Sell Further Gunns’ Plantations
Updated Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:07am AEST PHOTO: A forestry machinery holding logs in forest. (file) (ABC, Jessica Kidd) MAP: Albany 6330 The liquidator of the collapsed Tasmanian forestry giant Gunns has more than doubled the number of timber plantations it is putting on the market. The liquidator has already announced plans to sell about 100,000 hectares of plantations Gunns managed on behalf of investors. Now, PPB Advisory is seeking court approval to sell 118,000 hectares of trees formerly managed by another collapsed agribusiness, Great Southern. Gunns took control of Great Southern’s managed investment schemes in 2009 when the Perth-based company collapsed with debts of about $700 million. A significant number of plantations are in Western Australia but the company had interests nation-wide. Gunns went into receivership in September last year. The liquidator says the proceeds of the Great Southern trees will be distributed among the schemes’ 40,000 investors. It means Gunns’ trees in every Australian state are now on the market. PPB Advisory estimates the sale process will take less than four months. Continue reading
Wood Pellets Exports From North America To Europe Reached A New Record
SEATTLE, WA, Apr. 27, 2013/ Troy Media/ – The wood pellet export industry in North America has grown exponentially in a relatively short period of time. The export value has increased from an estimated $40 million in 2004 to almost $400 million in 2012. This fairly new trade development is the result of Europe’s quest to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce CO2 emissions. Energy generation from renewable resources has, with varying pace, gone up in all countries in the EU the past decade. Woody biomass, including wood pellets, is one energy source that has attracted both much attention and investments in a number of countries on the European continent. With limited domestic wood raw-material sources, countries such as the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands have increasingly relied on the importation of industrial wood pellets to reduce the usage of coal at some of their power utilities. The relatively high costs for wood pellets in Europe have resulted in increased interest in importing pellets from British Columbia and the southern states of the U.S., where wood raw-material costs are lower than in Europe. A record volume of 3.2 million tons of pellets was exported from North America to Europe in 2012. From the U.S. South, shipments were up over 100 per cent compared to 2011, while Canadian exports increased 25 per cent year-over-year. The expansion of pellet production has been particularly noteworthy in the U.S. South where there have been 14 new pellet plants that are either new or planning to expand production in the coming year. Global timber market reporting is included in the 52-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, established in 1988 and with subscribers in over 25 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, lumber and pellet prices and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.woodprices.com . Read more Hakan Ekstrom Continue reading
