Construction began today on the world’s first ever industrial scale waste-to-biofuel facility. Being built by privately-owned Enerkem Inc, the $75 million plant will be in Edmonton, Alberta and be able to generate enough biofuel to run over 400,000 vehicles each year using a five per cent ethanol fuel blend. Canada has been taking a forefront in the internationally community in biofuel investments as a means to reduce its carbon footprint. The country will announce in September that all petrol must have five per cent renewable content. Enerkem has obtained a 25-year agreement with the local Edmonton council to use 100,000 tonnes of ... Full Story

A new report indicates that coal waste could be threatening the water supply in up to 21 US states. While the US Environmental Protection Agency reviews new federal regulations for coal ash waste, it could be posing a bigger problem than has previously been documented. The study, which was run jointly by the Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club, shows that there are 39 sites spread across 21 states that have contaminated groundwater as a direct result of coal ash dumping by utility firms. In some areas, the coal ash waste has even affected surface water. These figures are in ... Full Story

According to new reports, the French government will seek to begin a new series of contracts totalling 10 billion euros to fund 3,000 MW of offshore wind capacity. Next month, the government will being tendering contracts with various energy groups seeking to begin producing electricity in the form of renewable wind energy by 2015. Furthermore, the government aims to have a total of 6,000 MW in offshore wind capacity by 2020. So far five of 10 sites in Normandy have been identified to receive 600 wind turbines. France has been attempting to catch up to Germany by increasing its capacity for floating ... Full Story

Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced Thursday that it will begin commercial demonstrations of its new equipment designed to reduce waste pools that are created by Canada’s oil sands extraction industry. It also confirmed that the new tech will be made available for competitors as well. Shell executives have said, however, that it is still not certain if the new technology will be up to standard with a new directive outlined by the Alberta government. The waste pools, known in the industry as tailing ponds, are a mixture of silt, sand and the residual oil leftover from using hot water to separate ... Full Story

The future of nuclear power is causing heated debate within Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel’s administration. Germany’s latest energy policy has been giving rise to new nuclear power controversies as the dangers, costs and benefits of nuclear energy debates resurface. While many maintain that nuclear power can still be used as a means to enhance domestic energy security by producing large quantities of energy, there are still many experts that warn against the long-term health risks and hazardous disposal of long-lived nuclear waste.  Support groups, however, say that nuclear energy is a good option as it emits very few greenhouse gas ... Full Story

Both Norway and the UK’s governments have agreed to a joint energy venture that will see the two countries exchange strategies in both conventional and alternative energy sectors. As per the agreement, the UK will serve as the main gas consumer with Norway continuing to supply natural gas. Both governments have highlighted the necessity of natural gas by saying it was vital to obtaining energy security. They also stated that they would continue to work closely to prepare for any unforeseen emergency gas supply disruptions. The gas companies in both regions are preparing for an offshore storage facility to be built to ... Full Story

A new reality show, ‘Great British Waste Menu’, scored top marks in the ratings with more than 5 million viewers tuning in on Wednesday, according to the most recent audience figures. The programme features four top ranking chefs who attempt to utilise waste food to make standard restaurant dishes. Drawing in a whopping 5.09 million average for the BBC One, it aired  this week during the 8.30 to 10pm slot. The show was able to outrank ITV’s live segment on the Tottenham Hotspur’s Champion’s League victory where they beat out Young Boys, which drew in 4.11 million airing at 7.30. Overall the ... Full Story

Operators at a nuclear site in Dounreay in Caithness could be facing prosecution after a dangerous radiation leak has affected a group of employees. As many as nine workers have been exposed to high levels of radioactivity while operating at the intermediate level waste centre. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate said that it will prepare a report to be used by the procurator fiscal. The site also experienced a fire in May, which the inspectorate is also preparing a report for. It said that the incident was most likely caused by poor segregation of materials and a failure to keep house properly. Fire ... Full Story

LanzaTech, a large waste processing firm, uses microbes to create feedstock from fermented industrial waste.Using a newly created component, the waste management firm can now process the industrial waste into polymers, hydrocarbon fuels and plastics. The company, based in Auckland, has already received US$18 million in funding to move the equipment into the commercial stage and build a waste gas to ethanol plant in China out of a converted steel mill. The process involves using microbial gas fermentation instead of the conventional approach of breaking down petrol with sugars. According to chief executive Jennifer Holmgren, the process enables chemicals to be ... Full Story

Russian opposition party Yabloko has sent several dozen protestors into central Moscow in defiance of a planned nuclear waste dumping arriving from Germany. Arriving today, the protestors have begun to vocalise a growing discontentment with the approval of the transfer of the toxic waste. Banners and signs have been unrolled to demonstrate their sentiments. Slogans included “Nuclear Waste? No Thanks!”. The majority of the protests are taking place outside of the Germany embassy located near the centre of the city. In a scheduled transport arriving from Germany, a total of 951 nuclear fuel rods are designated to arrive for ... Full Story

Authorities have arrested 12 of the climate change protestors that are currently parading through Edinburgh after activists stormed the RBS headquarters. Last Thursday, environmental activists began calling for protests after RBS’s investments in the oil industry were revealed. Arriving at Gogarburn last week, the capital has been plagued with protesting in various pockets around the city. So far 12 have been arrested. RBS said that it currently is one of the most active banks on the planet in terms of providing funding for renewable energy schemes. Nicolson Street and North Bridge bank branches have been experiencing hostility ... Full Story

Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond has entered into discussions with Spanish energy giant Iberdrola in an attempt to develop renewable energy projects within the country. With the aim of boosting green jobs for those educated in the sector, the first minister has already met with company execs to create a new wind and offshore energy generation facility. Meeting with the firm’s chief executive Ignacio Galan, the deal is likely to create thousands of local jobs. Iberdrola has already become a major industry player within the Scottish market and already owns ScottishPower. ScottishPower recently unveiled plans to implement new state-of-the-art ... Full Story