A just released Wood Energy Supply Study confirms available supply of wood fuel for southern industrial boilers until 2050.
Businesses considering switching from fossil to wood fuels can be confident that there is sufficient supply through to 2050. The Wood Energy South project identified this concern from the offset and commissioned a study to quantify the volume of waste wood in the South Otago and Southland Region.
More than 1 million tonnes of logs are harvested annually and this is projected to continue to increase at a rate of 2% per annum over the next 30 years. A large majority of this is exported but a quarter (25%) of this harvest remains in Southland.
The study estimates the annual waste wood volume is currently 200,000 tonne and will increase to 600,000 tonne per annum over the next 30 years, enough to heat 65 Splash Palace sized swimming pools per year.
Wood Energy South project coordinator Cathy Jordan says that there are currently eight wood fuel users across commercial, education and local government operations around Southland and there is a steady demand for wood energy feasibility studies.
The Wood Energy South project has technical expertise and funding available. For more information on this or to find out more about the wood supply please visit www.woodenergysouth.co.nz
Wood Energy South is a $1.5M joint venture project between Venture Southland and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). The main objective of the project is to increase the use of wood fuels in the Southland Region.
For further information contact:
Hunter Andrews Communications Manager
DDI: 03 211 1403
Mobile: 022 618 7433