By Rubina Obaid
www.asianbiomass.com
Increasing pressure on industries due to the coronavirus outbreak, biomass fuel supply chain wanted the government to secure biomass pipeline. While REA reassured to keep production, import and transportation opened.
Biomass fuel supply chain in UK reached out for government help in order to ensure uninterrupted supply of biofuel to households and businesses, due to increased pressure of coronavirus outbreak on industries. UK pellet council and Wood Heat Association called on for help to the Department for Transport, Department for International Trade and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Association is calling for secure pipeline of low carbon heat to prevent disruption of supply, while most of the people working from home health care facilities, hospitals, supermarkets, and food suppliers are supporting in the times of medical emergency.
In order to provide critical biomass heating in the time of crisis, when it is not even predictable what future has to hold Pellet council’s chair Mark Lebus says “There are unprecedented times and nobody could have foreseen the impact which this outbreak is having and unfortunately will continue to have, in the short term. It is therefore essential that key frontline organizations like NHS and healthcare providers, other essential businesses like supermarkets, food producers and manufacturers supplying much-needed items and key workers can absolutely rely on our industry to provide critical biomass heating”
Wood fuel supply requires UK’s national production and imported pellets from abroad, hence REA responded positively and reassured for smooth production and import of wood pellet, keeping open transportation and free movement. UK Biomass suppliers exert for government help Consumption of wood pellet in UK is around 700,000 tonnes annually which is going to increase as most people have started working from home. It has further been observed by the association that few of the market chains which are still working, heat around 100 sites using wood pellets that equates to 30,000 tonnes per annum and some large food producers consume around 20,000 tonnes of wood pellets annually.
To ensure smooth deliveries of wood fuel the suppliers are striving to pull all the solutions and trying hard to get things done timely, while the imported pellets coming on port every week. To ensure free movement into around the country strict social distancing policies have already been implemented and no contact is maintained while delivering. The objective of smooth biofuel supply will greatly help households, frontline industries and businesses to keep themselves heated and operational in the time of medical crisis.
Currently UK’s primary energy supply is 7.4% , and it is essential to increase twice as the current figure that is 16% of UK’s energy mix by 2032 for the safeguard of energy security. It is essential to take important measures to decarbonize specific sectors such as transport and heavy industry by majorly relying on electrified technologies and systems in order to meet UK’s climate neutrality targets. The electricity demand will exponentially increase while curtailing coal generation plants. As eight nuclear generation points in UK are responsible to produce one-fifth of primary power supply out of which seven are set to close by the end of 2030. Renewable heat is also the subject of political interest and government will extend Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) till 31st March 2022. The incentive has been extended by the government to convert 12% of UK homes to renewable heat by the end of 2020.
Reference link:https://www.edie.net/news/6/Calls-for-Government-to-secure-biomass-pipeline-during-coronavirus-outbreak/
