Vibrant Johannesburg is the chosen venue for CMT’s Biomass Trade & BioEnergy Africa summit. Held on 28-29 September, it zooms in on Africa’s vast yet untapped biomass and biogas energy markets – showcasing recent projects and new opportunities.  

The Biomass Series in Africa has on-board some of the early movers of Africa’s unexploited biomass and biogas energy markets. South Africa’s power utility – Eskom that is planning to build its first biomass plant – shares its ‘Biomass Co-Firing Strategy’ at the summit with details of its torrefaction process at its existing power stations and upcoming plants. Namibia’s utility Namibia Power Corporation – that plans to build 40MW and 20MW biomass-fueled power plants, informs about ‘Biomass Power Capacity Growth in Namibia’ sharing details of growth drivers, case studies, opportunities and challenges. 

Africa’s energy producer Sunbird Bioenergy – with sustainable biofuel projects in Sub-Saharan Africa – presents ‘Case Study of Implementing 32MW Biomass Power in Sierra Leone’ – highlighting sustainable feedstock production, community engagement and regional roll-out. Plus, another case study by LafargeHolcim spotlights on its use of coffee husks to produce biomass thermal energy for its cement kilns in Hima. Joining these key presenters, is Africa’s prominent finance organization – African Development Bank joins the summit with a presentation on ‘Boosting Bioenergy (Renewable Energy) Electrification in Africa’. 

The summit also delves into Africa’s biogas energy production with two key presentations – Commercial Biogas Development & Growth in South Africa by Southern African Biogas Industries Association and ‘Field Experiences on Current Progress of Biogas Project & Regulatory Challenges in Ghana’ by Biogas Association of Ghana. 

Organized by Centre for Management Technology (CMT), the summit also  spotlights on: 

• Benefits of Torrefaction for Co-Firing of Biomass in Coal Power Stations – Blackwood Technology
• Setting Up Biomass Export Operations from West Africa – Africa Renewables (AfriRen)
• Biomass & Waste Valorization through Thermo Chemical Conversion – ECN
• Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Technology for Localised Energy Generation & Industrial Utilisation – VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
• Wood Pellet Export Opportunities for African Producers - Overview of Pellet Market & Future Outlook – Pöyry Management Consulting
• African Biomass: Opportunities for Export & Development of the African Biomass Power Value Chain – Asia Resource Partners 

For more information, visit Biomass Trade & BioEnergy Africa website.