Energy & Clean Tech Connections January 2012
1/25/2012
In the January edition of Energy & Clean Tech Connections, we’ve gathered recent information from a wide variety of sources in an effort to keep you abreast of what’s new in the world of clean energy. We draw your attention to the latest industry developments, news from local governments to Capitol Hill, grant opportunities, and upcoming events.
The Energy & Clean Technology Practice Group has several exciting announcements to start off the New Year. Please join us in congratulating Mark Riedy for being named among the Top 100 People in Bioenergy for 2011-2012 by Biofuels Digest, a leading industry publication. Also, we have issued an update to our Energy & Clean Technology Project Finance Report with new information on the availability of project financing for renewable energy projects. The report analyzes project financing trends for utility-scale renewable power projects and biofuel refineries in the United States, and forecasts supply and demand levels through 2013. As the second session of the 112th Congress gets under way, ML Strategies has prepared the ML Strategies’ Outlook for 2012 to provide a sense of what issues Congress and federal agencies may undertake this year.
This month, we would also like to highlight a significant victory for our client, CoalTek Inc., which announced that it has received final approval from all requisite regulatory and governmental authorities in the People’s Republic of China for its clean coal processing facility in Inner Mongolia. The approval marks the first successful completion of the rigorous PRC environmental review and engineering examination by a clean coal technology company. The facility will initially produce 10 million metric tons of processed high quality fuel per year, transforming low-grade brown coal into high-thermal-value coal that burns more efficiently and produces lower emissions.
On Capitol Hill, President Obama denied a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline proposal, which would have linked a vast oil deposit in Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. He has indicated that the denial will not preclude approval at a later date after further study. TransCanada, the company behind the project, has responded by immediately saying that it will reapply for a permit. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is expected to push energy legislation that focuses on clean energy jobs and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) is planning to unveil clean energy standard legislation in the coming weeks.
In upcoming events, we would like to draw your attention to the Solar Power Generation USA 2012 conference, which will take place January 31 through February 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada and is a premier event in the US utility-scale solar power calendar. Held in Palm Springs, California, the 8th Annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit is another notable event, taking place February 1 and 2. Attendance at this clean-tech investment and innovation event is capped at 500 registrants to guarantee the optimum networking experience. For a more complete calendar of upcoming events please consult our Events section below.
We hope that you enjoy this month’s edition of the newsletter. For the most up-to-date information on federal legislation and programs, read the most recent ML Strategies Energy & Environment Update and check back for weekly updates.
