South Korea's Gyeongsangbuk-do province is planning to convert damaged wood residue from forest fires into biomass energy, according to the region's Forestry Policy Division.
The provincial government is proposing the construction of a power plant to burn biomass energy from forest residue from damaged forests. Heat and electricity generated from the plant will be utilised within the region.
The province will consider suitable sites within proximity of cities and counties that have suffered significant damage from forest fires.
A recent forest fire in Gyeongbuk in March caused extensive damage to trees in the province. The Forestry Policy Division also expects a large amount of waste woody material because of pinewood nematode infections affecting trees in the forest.
The division said unused forest biomass in the Gyeongsangbuk-do province increased significantly from 3,000t in 2019 to 454,000t in 2024. The woody residue is unsuitable for purposes other than biomass energy.
South Korea has been diversifying its sources of wood pellets from other countries, following a supply shortage from key export market Vietnam. South Korea increased its imports from Indonesia and Malaysia in March by 56pc and 63pc respectively from a year earlier, according to customs data.
