WIDER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
On the Green energy debate PT-RAPS believes that large scale biomass power generation is neither Green nor environmentally friendly. Increasingly the experts are agreeing with our view on this.
UK Biomass map (courtesy of Biofuel Watch)
The Biofuel-Watch map is kept up to date with all schemes being proposed and consented around the UK. It shows around 4GW of biomass schemes in various stages of development. The majority of generation capacity being developed in the UK differs from that in the rest of Europe in that the UK schemes are comparitively large and intend to use imported wood rather than domestically grown timber.
Infact the UK does not have enough forestry to sustain itself for even a fraction of the wood fuel required by the 4GW of capacity being developed and that is why typically schemes such as Prenergy's are being develped in port locations.
The majority of the 4 GW of UK biomass schemes in various stages of development will rely almost exclusively on unproven resources of wood from abroad. The amount of wood used for UK biomass power generation will need to rise from just a few million tonnes at present to around 25-30 million tonnes annually by 2015. This staggering amount is equivalent to current total global exports of woodchip.
Channel 4 News: 6th March 2011: Timber prices up as power plants boost biomass use’
Times: November 16, 2009: Britain cuts down forests to keep ‘green’ power stations burning
From Sunday Times: May 17th 2009: Government's biomass cash bonanza brings in waste from around the world
Times: November 18, 2009: Scottish & Southern Energy in power play for wood
Low efficiency power generation
The knock on effect of this policy is that many biomass power generation schemes in the UK will be isolated from customers who can use the waste heat. This is important since biomass power generation, unlike coal or gas technologies, cannot use its own waste heat directly. Consequently the majority of schemes built will be of low efficiency (35% at best) as opposed to those of around 65% that are able to use the waste heat (CHP). This is a criminal waste of precious wood resources and it should be remembered that heat only schemes that burn wood pellets or wood chip can typically reach around 80-85% fuel efficiency.
UNSUSTAINABLE DEMAND FOR WOOD FIBRE RESOURCES FROM UK BIOMASS POWER GENERATION
The majority of the 4 GW of the UK biomass schemes in various stages of development will rely almost exclusively on unproven resources of wood from abroad. The amount of wood used for UK biomass power generation will need to rise from just a few million tonnes currently to around 25-30 million tonnes annually by 2015. This staggering amount of wood is equivalent to current global exports of woodchip and wood waste. In 2009 Global exports of woodchip were just 25 milion tonnes, down from around 32 million tonnes in 2007.
Currently the largest producer of woodchip in the world is Australia which in 2007 exported around 6-7 million tonnes. The second largest exporter was South Africa with 4 million tonnes the third largest the USA with around 2.5 million tonnes (from east and west coast combined).
This means that Prenergy will need to acquire the total exports of the USA in order to run its power station. To do this it will have to displace existing users of wood fibre such as the wood panel, paper and furniture industries.Presently there are only 4-5 million tonnes of exported woodchip resources within sustainable reach of the UK and Western Europe.
UK's Biomass Ambitions Threatened By Supply Chain Flaws (Verdantix)
Concerns have been now been raised by Biofuelwatch and Friends of the Earth about the destruction of indigenous rainforest in Brazil, which is making way for fast growing eucalyptus tree fuel crops for biomass power generation.
By way of an illustration (of the unsustainable demands being placed on Brazilian forestry), in August 2010 there was a memorandum of understanding signed between MGT, who are developing a 300MW biomass power station in Tees port, and a Brazilian company to supply 3Million tonnes of wood pellets.
The pressure on wood resources created by the massive 4GW expansion of UK biomass power generation has been recognised by CONFOR the confederation for wood panel industries, who recognise the threat that spiralling wood fibre costs will pose on industries they represent. The CONFOR report by Clegg consultancy is the most thorough investigation yet into wood resources for UK biomass power generation.
