French utility to sell chip-fired power to government

Market: Biomass
26/11/24

French utility Gazel Energie has reached a deal to supply power generated at its 150MW wood chip-fired Provence 4 power plant to the French government over the coming eight years.

The plant, located in Gardanne, southern France, will restart operations at the beginning of 2025 with a running capacity of 4,000 hr/yr, the French utility said in a social media posting on Tuesday.

The French government has agreed to pay Gazel $800mn over eight years to buy power generated at Provence 4, suggesting the power purchase price under the deal was €166.67/MWh.

The deal is "essential" for the decarbonisation of the south, Gazel Energie said.

The unit is scheduled to end its current outage on 5 January 2025. It has been off line since 12 December 2023 because of technical issues. Provence 4 had restarted operations in February 2022 following a two-year long outage, but the unit has since experienced many outages for maintenance.

Sustained output at Provence 4 is due to support French import demand for hardwood chips from early next year. The country imported 210,000t of hardwood chips in 2023 from 130,000t on average in the previous two years. The figures are for chips under the 440122 HS classification code, typically delivered to power or heat generators, although these may include volumes shipped to other competing sectors.

By Alejandro Moreano

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16/01/25

Brazil to face weaker La Nina conditions

Sao Paulo, 16 January (Argus) — Many government agencies expect a weaker La Nina weather pattern in Brazil — partially because of its delayed start — that could help reverse damages from a previous droughtand boost hydroelectric power generation. La Nina conditions emerged a month later than expected, starting only in January, according to national meteorology institute Inmet. Its presence was confirmed by the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is 40pc likely to last until March-May. Delayed La Nina conditions and its weaker effects on Brazil's climate may be linked to the global average temperature hitting an all-time high in 2024 , according to the World Meteorological Organization. La Nina conditions develop when the surface waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean are cooler-than-average across the central and central-eastern regions. But global oceans have been running much warmer for more than a year, which could have delayed the phenomena, according to NOAA. Its usually causes heavier rains in Brazil's northern and northeastern regions, while central-southern states experience drier weather and heatwaves. Brazil, along with South America as a whole, has a history of droughts , agricultural losses , and higher ethanol prices in previous La Nina seasons, but the effects this year will be milder and potentially beneficial to industries in some regions. Agriculture Despite its conditions set to last throughout the first quarter of 2025, Brazil's 2024-25 crop is expected to hit a record 322.3mn metric tonnes (t), up from 297.8mn t in the previous crop, according to national supply company Conab. Still, most forecasts rely on previous favorable conditions during the development of the 2024-25 crop. The soybean crop is set to be 13pc higher than in 2023-24, reaching 166.33mn t. Corn also is expected to increase production, reaching 119.6mn, a 3.3pc rise from the previous crop. But previous dry weather and low precipitation harmed center-southern sugarcane producers, which are responsible for 91pc of the national sugarcane output. The 2024-25 sugarcane crop is forecast to reach 678.7mn t, a 4.8pc decline from the previous season, according to Conab. La Nina's conditions may recover some of the sugarcane crop this season. Northeastern sugarcane production, harmed by last year's drought, will face a period of heavy rains brought by the phenomenon in January. But the sugarcane crop is already projected to decline by 30pc from the previous crop regardless, according to northeastern sugarcane producers' association Unida. The last time La Nina hit Brazil, in 2020-23, roughly 40pc of the main center-south sugarcane crop was at risk from dry weather . Ethanol Ethanol production is set to increase by 1.3pc in 2024-25 from the previous season, according to Conab. Still, sugarcane ethanol is outlined to shrink by 2.8pc thanks to 2024's dry weather and wildfires in the southeast. Electricity La Nina's late arrival enabled the summer rainy period in Brazil. The main hydroelectric reservoirs recovered from last year's drought and will end this month above half of their capacity, according to national grid operator ONS. Regardless of La Nina's presence, most of the central-southern states are expected to have above-average rains in January-April, according to Inmet. Temperatures are also set to stay above the historical average in the central-western, southeastern, southern and northern states. By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Korea's REC changes may pare long-term biomass imports

10/01/25

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10/01/25

Korea's REC changes may pare long-term biomass imports

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Adjustments to Dutch low-carbon subsidy scheme in 1Q25

31/12/24

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31/12/24

Adjustments to Dutch low-carbon subsidy scheme in 1Q25

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Viewpoint: Wood chip supply may tighten in 2025

27/12/24

News

27/12/24

Viewpoint: Wood chip supply may tighten in 2025

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Viewpoint: Pellet boiler sales to drop in 2025

27/12/24

News

27/12/24

Viewpoint: Pellet boiler sales to drop in 2025

London, 27 December (Argus) — Sales of pellet-fired boilers and stoves for residential consumption are set to fall in 2025, after reaching record highs in 2024, partly because of government subsidies in Austria and Germany. The Austrian government has offered subsidies of up to €18,000 ($18,800) towards the price of a pellet stove or boiler — around 75pc of the cost of the appliance. The subsidies have been in place for the past two years, with the aim of incentivising households to switch away from fossil fuels. Low-income consumers are able to qualify for a subsidy of up to 100pc of the cost of a stove or boiler. This pushed up Austrian new boiler purchases to a record high of 19,181 in January-November, leading to expectations that full-year sales will surpass 2022 full-year sales of 21,629, figures from industry association ProPellets Austria show. Austrian pellet consumption is expected to reach 1.4mn t in 2024, well above the 1.2 mn t sold a year earlier. But Austrian elections earlier this year have resulted in a new and more conservative coalition government taking office, which will likely alter the subsidy scheme and reduce the subsidies' value. Coalition negotiations are currently ongoing. Several customer registrations for the subsidy scheme are still being finalised, so these buyers will likely purchase their boilers using the subsidies in the new year, according to ProPellets Austria data. This means boiler sales will probably be above the long-term average next year but below 2024 sales. Germany has launched a similar subsidy scheme, covering up to 70pc of the cost of a boiler. Wood pellet exports out of the country decreased by 139,705t on the year to 512,980t in January-September, customs data show, suggesting increased local demand. Wood pellet consumption in Switzerland is also expected to be stronger year on year, at 470,000t this year compared with 416,197t in 2023, according to wood pellet association ProPellets Switzerland data and projections. Meanwhile, pellet demand from the Italian and French markets has decreased on the year as the consumer base in those countries has declined. Italian and French households are not using pellet-fired stoves or boilers for their heating needs as much as they did in the past. And several buyers in Italy and France were still relying on stocks carried over from the previous year, as mild weather reduced consumption that year. Italian household pellet consumption fell to an estimated 2.2mn-2.4mn t in 2024 from around 3mn t/yr a year earlier, and this has weighed on pellet trading activity with pellet producers in the Baltic region — one of the main suppliers to the Italian market. Higher transport costs made it unprofitable to import pellets from the Baltic — which is over 700-800km away from Italy. And the cost of raw materials in the Baltic region increased this year, meaning pellets from the region were outpriced by pellets from other markets. Italian buyers are now heavily reliant on cheaper Brazilian pellets, which has also weighed on imports from other countries. Italy imported 262,245t from Brazil in January-September, up from 186,770t over the same period in 2023, the latest customs data show. This trend could continue well into 2025, with Brazil becoming an increasingly influential sourcing country for Europe. Danish imports from Brazil rose to 77,375t in January-November 2024 from just 1,110t a year earlier, customs data show. By Marta Imarisio Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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