Tag Archives: clean-energy
New Forests Pty Limited : New Forests and Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation Agree to Collaboration on Bioenergy and Biofuel Developments
New Forests and Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation Agree to Collaboration on Bioenergy and Biofuel Developments Projects to be linked to New Forests forestry investments in regional Australia New Forests and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (“CEFC”) today announced that they have jointly executed a collaboration agreement to finance new bioenergy and biofuel developments. The new investments could include combined heat and power projects or renewable fuels projects featuring biodiesel or syngas associated with forestry investments in regional Australia. New Forests has invested in extensive forestry plantations in Australia, and the agreement may support establishment of new domestic markets for hardwood and softwood timber as well as traditional forestry and sawmill waste products. Under the collaboration agreement, New Forests will seek to develop commercially-oriented investment opportunities in renewable energy that complement regional forest sectors. New Forests’ Managing Director, David Brand, said, “This is an opportunity to diversify Australian markets for timber, turn waste material into energy, and create new jobs and investment in rural Australia. We see biomass based energy and liquid fuels as an area of substantial potential for growth, and an opportunity that could rival the size of traditional timber markets in the next ten or twenty years.” CEFC CEO, Oliver Yates, said “This is an excellent demonstration of how the CEFC can work with the forestry industry to enable bioenergy projects that will fulfil the potential for the industry to convert its waste products into a valuable renewable energy source. Investment in bioenergy can help reduce carbon emissions, lessen the reliance on traditional electricity and has the potential to boost productivity through reduced energy and operating costs.” Bioenergy presently provides 0.9 per cent of Australia’s electricity generation, but the Clean Energy Council estimates that this has the potential to increase six-fold by 2020 with the right support in place. “Linking Australia’s very significant forestry resources and skills and enhancing these through new clean energy technologies utilising cellulosic biomass will build a new industry of national value”, Mr Yates added. www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au Page 1/2 New Forests’ investments already include 375,000 hectares of land and timber plantation assets in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia and Timberlink Australia, with two softwood sawmills located in Tasmania and South Australia. Many of these plantations were established under managed investment schemes and now need concerted effort to develop markets and infrastructure. “Market development is a key part of the work that needs to be done to reposition Australia’s plantation forestry sector for the future,” said Brand. “As an Australian business we seek to achieve excellent returns for investors, and innovation is a key part of that work.” The collaboration agreement is open to any projects brought forward by New Forests that meet the CEFC investment criteria. New Forests has identified a bioenergy plant in the Green Triangle alongside the Tarpeena sawmill as an immediate priority, as well as an assessment of the potential to use hardwood plantations for bioenergy and biofuel production at other locations. About CEFC The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has been established by the Australian Government to mobilise capital investment in renewable energy, low- emissions technology and energy efficiency in Australia. The CEFC’s flexible mandate and commercial approach provide an opportunity to achieve genuine market-based change by helping overcome the financial barriers that have previously prevented clean energy investment at scale. Learn more at www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au About New Forests New Forests (www.newforests.com.au) manages investments in sustainable forestry and associated environmental markets for institutional and other qualified wholesale investors. New Forests executes three investment strategies that provide clients with diversity and choice around risk-adjusted returns, geography, and market exposure: sustainable timberland investment in Australia and New Zealand; forestry investment in high-growth markets of the Asia Pacific region; and conservation forestry and environmental markets investment in the United States. The company has offices in Sydney, Singapore, and San Francisco and currently manages AU$1.8 billion in funds and assets and over 415,000 hectares of land in Australia, the United States, and Asia. CEFC Media Line: New Forests media contact: Clean Energy Finance Corporation MaryKate Hanlon media@cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au P: +61 02 9406 4105 Media line 0457 732 219 M: 0450 608 454 mhanlon@newforests.com.au www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au Page 2/2 Continue reading
Latin America Clean Energy Investments Surged 127% Higher In 2012
April 30, 2013 Some $4.6 billion of clean energy investments were made in Latin America (excluding Brazil) in 2012, a whopping 127% increase from 2011, according to figures released in advance of the third annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum – Latin America & Caribbean (REFF-LAC), which is being held in Miami this week. In sharp contrast to the strong gain in Latin America clean energy investments, new clean energy investments fell 11% year over year globally, from $302.32 billion in 2011 to $268.69 billion, according to the latest report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The global decrease was the first fall in renewable energy financing recorded by BNEF since it began collecting data. Latin America: A Clean Energy Investment Bright Spot In 2012 Latin America was a bright spot amid an overall decline in global renewable energy financing in 2012. Four countries experienced triple-digit clean energy investment growth: Mexico’s total new financial investments in clean energy for 2012 reached $1.9 billion, up 595% year over year; New financial investments in clean energy totaled $1 billion, up 313% from $246 million in 2011; Uruguay’s total new investments in clean energy reached $105 million, a 285% year-over-year increase; Total clean energy investments in Peru reached $643 million, a 176% increase from $233 million in 2011. By dollar amount, Brazil actually led the Latin America & Caribbean region when it came to total clean energy investments. Some $5.17 billion of capital was invested in clean energy in South America’s largest nation in 2012, according to BNEF. Mexico ($1.998 billion) and Chile ($1.018 billion) ranked second and third, respectively. Turning to 2012, LatAm-Caribbean investments in clean energy sectors, biomass and waste attracted the most capital ($822.34 million), biofuels followed ($539.47 million), and geothermal ranked third ($76.69 million), BNEF found. “The increased investments in non-Brazil Latin America was driven by increased activity by the Inter-American Development Bank,” Maria Gabriela da Rocha Oliveira, BNEF’s head of Latin America Research and Analysis, was quoted in a press release. “Additionally, European players, both project developers and manufacturers, have become more active in the region given grim conditions at home.” Added Carlos St. James, president of the Latin American & Caribbean Council on Renewable Energy (LAC-CORE) and CEO of VOLA Investments LLC: “As investments in clean energy declined in 2012 due to the ongoing financial crisis, the sector was actually growing in most of Latin America. This is a huge boon for clean energy finance and the region, which we expect to continue to grow. The most exciting trend is that this has moved beyond Brazil, with other countries now seeing amazing growth and potential.” Read more at http://cleantechnica…8VV0xjeBROwJ.99 Continue reading
