overview of developments of wood-based bioenergy in the uk and eu
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Almuth Ernsting Biofuelwatch 28th May 2010. Overview of developments of wood-based bioenergy in the UK and EU. E.On's Steven's Croft power station near Lockerbie. Poyry/McKinsey analysis. Biomass plans in the UK. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Overview of developments of wood-based bioenergy in the UK and EU
Almuth ErnstingBiofuelwatch
28th May 2010
E.On's Steven's Croft power stationnear Lockerbie
Biomass plans in the UK
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Total woodproduction
Announced plansfor biomass
capacityPoyry/McKinsey analysis
Most of this capacity is for dedicated biomass power stations, mainly at ports.
Identified sources:
US, Canada South America, South Africa, Baltic States and Russia.
Predictions by the European Renewable Energy Council
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Meg
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2006 Projection for 2020
Wind
Hydro
Photovoltaic
Biomass
Geothermal
Solar thermal
Wavepower
The proportion with respect to total energy use from biomass is expected to increase from 6.0% to 12.7 – 13.9%.
How and at whose expense will that gap be filled?
Cepi based on report by Poyry/McKinsey
“With current assumptions we see a gap between supply and demand of more 5hqn 200
million tonnes of wood per year by 2020 [ in Europe ]”
UK: Back to monoculture expansion
“The c. 1 million hectares of coniferous forest planted in the UK,
mainly on marginal land, over this period represents a major resource
as both a carbon store and a carbon ‘sink’.” - Reid Report on Forests
and Climate Change
Scottish Natural Heritage
...and towards more destructive logging
Whole Tree Removal
Photo: Forestry CommissionStump Removal
Promoted by the Woodfuel Strategy for England
Yet the UK will get nowhere near meeting even current wood demand
Forestry Commission figures for the UK in 2008:
Total wood production: 8.4 million tonnesWood imports: 45.7 million tonnesWood exports: 5.4 million tonnesWood consumption: 48.8 million tonnes
Less than half a million tonnes for bioenergy at the time
Example 1: Forth Energy
• Subsidiary of SSE and Forth Ports• Plans for four 120 MW power stations in
Edinburgh, Grangemouth, Dundee, Rosyth, all at ports
World's (so far) largest woodpellet plant in Florida -
Forth Energy plan toburn wood from NorthAmerica
Example 2: Prenergy in Port Talbot
Smaller Margam PowerStation in Port Talbot
World's largest wood power station which hasreceived planning consent – 350 MW
Photo: Wally Menne – clearcuttree plantationin South Africa
- from where Prenergy plans tosource some of the wood
Example 3: MGT Power
“Much academic research indicates large areas of land available for sustainable forestry establishment without displacement of ecologically damaging activities.” - Noel
Forrest, MGT Power
Imports from North and South America and the Baltic States planned.
300 MW wood power station approved in Teeside – will burn2,4 million tonnes per year.
Subsidies behind wood power expansion
+ Renewable Obligation Certificates (paid at a higher rate for wood from dedicated plantations
+ Planned Renewable Heat Incentive (which would pay a higher rate for bioenergy than for solar thermal)
“Trees grow faster in the tropics, labour is cheaper and governments provide a series of subsidies to encourage the
expansion of the industry.”From Plantations, Poverty and Power, Chris Lang, published by World Rainforest Movement
Picture: Greenpeace – Deforestation for pulp and paper tree plantations by APRIL, Riau Province, Sumatra. (APRIL’s European sales office is based in the Netherlands.)
Pulp and paper industry moves to the South:
Atlantic Forest in Brazil being destroyed for monoculture tree plantations
pulpinc.wordpress.com
US Plantationsfrom paper to bioenergy markets
Record fire rages across pine plantations in Georgia, 2007, www.msnbc.msn.com
The southern US has been the world’s largest paper producing region, supplying much of the US market, though at a high cost to natural forests, soil and water. Now, pulp mills are closing down to be replaced by…
“Medco is also planning a large joint venture with Korean firm LG International …
focusing on one million hectares of timber plantations in Merauke … to produce 1.4
million tons of wood chip and 3.6 million tons of wood pellet a year for energy production.”
According to the Jakarta Post, a UK firm is involved in the deal.
From: Up for Grabs by Telapak and Environmental Investigation Agency
Deforestation in Modan, Sorong, West Papua, April 2009 From ‘Up for Grabs’ – Soon for wood pellets and wood chips for export?
Wood for bioenergy from the Republic of Congo
MagForestry Eucalyptus plantation in the Republic of
Congo news.mongabay.com
Forecast by Wise et al, published in Science of what will happen to the world’s forests and grassland with policies to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and which class all bioenergy as ‘carbon neutral’.