Colombian wood pellet manufacturer Bioena has started production at its 150,000 t/yr plant in the north of the country, the company has told Argus.
The plant opened on 16 June, after already delaying start-up by a month until 28 April because of "customs issues with some imported equipment", Bioena chief executive and founder Juan Camilo Sanz said.
The Bioena pellet plant's first cargo is scheduled to be shipped on 31 October, two months later than initially expected.
Bioena will sell all of the plant's production through a five-year agreement with a trading firm. The facility will take around one year to ramp up to capacity, Bioena said.
Colombian biomass producer Reforestadora del Sinu is the only other wood pellet producer in the country holding the SBP biomass sustainability certification. The plant, in northwest Colombia, has a production capacity of 60,000 t/yr.

