UMaine to Host BioEnergy Forum

Contact: Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine will host the Atlantica BioEnergy Task Force Research and Development Forum on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and Thursday, Dec. 4.

The task force is comprised of regional and federal government and industry organizations, and post secondary institutions seeking a better understanding of what opportunities may exist for the regions’ forestry sector.

The task force is supported by a team from PricewaterhouseCoopers that has been systematically examining opportunities in the area of wood-based BioProducts while considering sustainable use of resources, current regional operations, maturity of new technologies, the current regulatory environment and the economic impact.

This week’s event, coupled with a summit held last week in New Brunswick, is the culmination of a study completed by the task force and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The R&D Summit is being hosted by regional post-secondary institutions to discuss the gaps that may exist between industrial needs and current R&D within the field. The forum being held at UMaine will explore how to take the opportunities identified in the report and turn them into tangible business opportunities in this region.

The forum will begin Wednesday at Hauck Auditorium with registration at 8:30 a.m. After lunch, the event will move to Wells Conference Center for the remainder of the forum.