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Biomass consumption in the Netherlands is expected to grow from about 1.8 million tons in 2018 to about 2.3 million tons in 2020, according to a government report to the U.S. department of agriculture’s global agricultural information network for external agricultural services.
According to the report, the expected growth is based on subsidies distributed by the Dutch government.More biomass is expected to be imported in the form of wood chips or pellets, the government said.
The report points out that the biomass industry market in the Netherlands can be divided into two main parts: power plants that burn biomass with coal, and biomass power plants that generate heat and electricity.
It says power plants that burn biomass mixed with coal at ports may get their biomass in the form of imported wood particles.The subsidies the plants receive from the Dutch government are based in part on higher prices for pellets than for other types of biomass.The report also says the particles used in these facilities must meet the sustainable development requirements of the Dutch government and reach agreements with environmental ngos.The report notes that the main factors limiting imports of particles from the United States are a lack of forest grade certification and additional requirements for implementation of the convention.
The report divides biomass power plants that generate heat and electricity into two categories: those with a capacity of more than 5 megawatts and those with a capacity of less than 5 megawatts.
Biomass power plants of 5 mw or more must meet the sustainable development requirements of the Dutch government.According to the report, these larger facilities are often located in inland ports and are likely to capture biomass locally in the form of wood chips or pellets.The main restriction on buying us wood chips or pellets for these facilities is that they are relatively expensive compared to biomass sourced locally.
Small facilities with a capacity of less than 5 mw do not need to meet the sustainable development requirements of the Netherlands.According to the report, these facilities are mainly located in ports and may import biomass from abroad in the form of wood chips or pellets.The report also points out that the main current restriction on the conversion of these facilities to biomass is the lack of a favorable disposal by the public.
Demand for solid biomass is expected to increase by about 500,000 tons over the next two years, the Dutch government said in its report.Increased demand is expected to attract other eu member states to provide biomass in the form of wood chips, as well as imports in the form of pellets from other countries.To date, the Dutch enterprise agency has subsidized more than 200 projects to produce energy from solid biomass, the report said.
In 2018, the Netherlands consumed about 1.7 million tons of non-granular wood biomass.It produces 1.5 million tons, exports 350,000 tons and imports 550,000 tons.In 2018, the consumption of wood particles in the Netherlands reached 155,000 tons.Produce 5000 tons of grain, import 400,000 tons, export 250,000 tons.
The full report is available for download from the USDA FAS GAIN website.