The energy crisis has reportedly increased the use of fuel wood in Europe. Although 70% of Europe’s heating systems are powered by gas and electricity, rising energy prices and a slowdown in Russian energy imports have made sawdust burning, a biofuel based on pressed wood, an alternative source of heat. In Spain, 14.7 percent of energy supply comes from these fuels, and the figure is increasing, according to the Spanish Association for Biomass Energy Recovery (Avebiom). According to the Consumer and User Organisation (OCU), the price of firewood in Spain has increased by an average of 20 to 30 per cent in recent months. Sawdust sales rose 67 percent last year, almost double the amount in 2017, and despite the increased supply of wood, peak sales for consumers worried about shortages remained high.
Industry insiders say wood is normally produced without the risk of running out of stock, and the trend towards stockpiling of other products during the pandemic has not only been seen in Spain: in France, wood chip prices have almost doubled to €600 a tonne; Hungary has even banned exports of such products, while Romania has capped the price of firewood for the next six months, according to Bloomberg.
In 2021, fireplace sales rose 30 percent from the previous year as electricity prices soared. This year, the energy crisis and the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine have undoubtedly heightened concerns about energy shortages. Fireplaces have gone from decorative elements to energy efficient alternatives for home heating, and despite price increases, firewood is considered a cheap alternative to electric heating.
According to a report by Avebiom, the production of sawdust fuel in Spain has increased from 704,700 tonnes in 2020 to around 806,700 tonnes in 2022. Consumer demand is also on the rise: wood sales are already up more than 50 percent compared with last year, according to lumber and sawdust producers and marketing companies.
With the development of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, energy shortage is widespread in Europe, and people’s confidence in energy supply is declining. People have begun to stock up on wood, and some families even go to the mountains to gather wood to survive the crisis.
Post time: Oct-20-2022