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Abstract
The economic crisis has not reduced the demand for wood energy, which is expected to continue to grow. The downturn in sawmill production caused a shortage of raw material supply for wood pellet producers. With decreased demand for pulpwood-quality roundwood for wood and paper products in 2009, some pulpwood is being converted into wood energy. Economies of scale are being increasingly utilized in both production and logistics to further expand the market volume. The pellet production level in Russia is gradually rising again, after stagnation in 2008. An ambitious policy of the Russian Government on the use of renewable energy sources is contributing to the development of the domestic wood biomass market. North American wood pellet production is increasing swiftly and is primarily focusing on the European market. Canada continues to be the world’s largest wood pellet exporter, shipping large amounts to power stations primarily in western Europe, but also in Japan. A proposed phase-out of electricity generation from coal in Ontario, Canada, is expected to increase domestic demand for biomass as power stations are converted from coal to biomass. While the energy debate highlights electricity and transportation fuels, space and water heating make up perhaps the majority of energy demand in the UNECE region.
Keywords
Renewable natural resources,
utilization,
biomass energy,
biomass,
energy conservation,
fuelwood,
supply and demand,
forest products industry,
economic aspects,
market surveys,
renewable energy sources,
forest biomass,
natural resources,
energy consumption,
energy industries,
biomass conversion,
forest products,
marketing,
wood as fuel,
forest resources,
biomass fuel,
biorefining,
bioconversion
Citation
Hartkamp, Rens; Hillring, Bengt; Mabee, Warren; Olsson, Olle; Skog, Kenneth; Spelter, Henry; Vinterback, Johan; Wahl, Antje. 2009. Continued growth expected for wood energy despite turbulence of the economic crisis : wood energy markets, 2008-2009. Forest products annual market review, 2008-2009. Geneva, Switzerland : United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2009: pages 97-109.
