International experts from the pellet world present the current reality of the sector from several viewpoints

The 9th International Bioenergy Congress, organised by AVEBIOM in Valladolid within the framework of Expobiomasa, will open its doors on 21st October. During the morning session, representatives from all the organisations participating in international INFRES LogistitEC and EuroPruning projects will present “Advances in baling, storing, pelleting and torrefaction to increase competitiveness in bioenergy”.

During the afternoon session the focus will be on the “International Pellet Market”, and representatives from the European Pellet Council will present “Opportunities and challenges of a commodity, market trends, consumption expectations, figures and secrets”.

Activities will continue on the 22nd October with two sessions under the title “Conecta bioENERGIA”. The first – Solutions for the Food and Farming Industry – will be an exclusive get together for department heads from companies in the sector, organised by VITARTIS (the Business Group for Innovation in Biotechnology and Farming and Food in Castile and Leon) and AVEBIOM, at which they will be able to find out about success stories and solutions for generating heat and cooling in processes and reducing costs while improving profitability and using up by-products and waste from their industries.

The second “conecta bioENERGIA” session will be held on 23rd October and will focus on “Solutions for Municipalities”, with a special meeting for Town Hall leaders, department heads and employees, who will be able to find out firsthand about success stories and solutions that have made it possible to make savings in energy bills and create jobs in municipalities. The event will be rounded off with bilateral meetings with professionals who will offer tailored solutions adapted to the different authorities.

Other programmed events at Expobiomasa are: Spanish-Danish Seminar, organised by the Danish Trade Delegation, on advanced solutions using Danish technology for energy use in the farming industry, on 21st October; Climate and Biomass Funding Workshop and Eco-design and Emissions Management Workshops, both on 22nd October; and a round table entitled “Debate on the Chippings Market” on the 23rd. The activities include technical visits to food and farming industries and municipal facilities on 22nd and 23rd October respectively.

Source: Expobiomasa

Increase in the number of exhibitors at Expobiomasa with technology from 12 countries
Preliminary Exhibitor list and List for Expobiomasa FORESTAL available online

The number of exhibitors continues to rise at a good pace, with just over a month to go before the registration period ends on 31st July. This can clearly be seen in the Preliminary Exhibitor List which has been updated weekly since the six-month countdown to the event began.
The forestry section, which takes place at the same time and in the same venue as Expobiomasa has seen an increase in the number of exhibitors, which can be seen in the FORESTAL list.
In terms of international representation, the fair will have technology mainly coming from Spain, Portugal and Italy, but there are also direct exhibitors from Germany, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, the US, Greece, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

Source: Expobiomasa

Big leap in biomass use for heating in Spain
The Spanish have gone from consuming 100,000 tonnes of pellets in 2010 to 380,000 tonnes in 2013. And forecasts published by various organisations are saying that by 2020 the 1.1 million tonne mark will have been passed

The Spanish Association for the Energy Valuation of Biomass – AVEBIOM – has used these data and others to analyse how the pellet market is behaving and what evolution there has been in equipment. Now they are releasing their expectations for the Spanish market for the next few years.

Reports by the industry association highlight the growing importance of quality certification for solid biofuels. The fact is that 87% of end users of pellets in Spain prefer ENPLUS certified pellets for their installations as it gives a reference for quality.

At the same time, pellet production in Spain is growing in a sustainable way: there are now 30 plants with a production capacity of over 10,000 tonnes per annum and new projects are proliferating. In 2013 Spanish pellet production reached 350,000 tonnes. Supply has adapted to meet this increasing demand and that has led to pellet prices stabilising. Throughout the whole of last year end user prices only rose by 2.8% which contrasts with the price hikes for other energy sources such as gas or oil.

The increase in pellet consumption in Spain corresponds to the major savings made with stove and boiler installations in all types of buildings, including public ones such as schools, residences, municipal facilities, or private ones such as industrial buildings, hotels, housing projects and, above all, individual houses. Data from the Spanish Biomass Boiler Observatory (ONCB) estimate that there were 80,000 such installations up and running in Spain in 2013, providing an accumulated power of 5,000 MW of thermal energy. Forecasts predict that by 2020 there will be 12,000 MW of thermal energy from operating installations.

Both the current figures and forecasts provide a clear conclusion: it is cheaper to heat using pellets than gas or oil in Spain, and in today`s economic landscape it is vital to optimize resources to meet the strong demand for thermal energy in industry and well-being in households. Biomass offers an energy source that guarantees savings, security and sustainability in supply and, of course, comfort for users.

Source: AVEBIOM