Norwegian forests – Great opportunity
Our forests represent a significant potential that can be utilized for the production of sustainable Norwegian biofuels.
Forest owners have experienced a decline in domestic demand for lower-quality logs. Likewise, the sawmill industry experiences the same decline in chips, sawdust, bark, and off-cuts from their production. Sales have now become dependent on costly long-distance transport to customers abroad. The forests, however, represent a significant raw material potential for Norwegian biofuel production. By manufacturing the biofuel next to the forest resources and the sawmill industry’s production plants, our project will create opportunities for value creation and local businesses.
The annual feedstock volume that one production plant can convert into 110.000 m³ of biofuels
The requirement for biofuel blending for all road transportation fuels
The share of all energy consumption the EU required to come from renewable sources by 2020
Sustainable and available
Norway’s annual forest harvesting volume is currently about 12 million m3. At the same time, the forest re-growth volume is more than twice as high! The landscape is becoming overgrown – mainly by leaf trees, which is another attractive raw material for advanced biofuels. Access to sustainable feedstock for our planned biofuel production facilities in Amli is excellent.
High yield and efficiency
Waste such as bark, branches, and treetops are also attractive as feedstock, which then does not need to be left to rot in the forest – as is the current situation. For forestry and the sawmill industry, this creates new opportunities for operation and material handling in the forest. As a result, our project serves to make forestry more profitable and attractive as an industry.
Optimizing transport
To capture maximum value from the new opportunities, harvest operations and logistics must be fully integrated. An additional benefit from this could be increased harvesting of sawlogs for the sawmill industry.
Certified raw material
Timber sold in Norway is certified and must meet strict environmental requirements. Norwegian forestry is obliged to ensure biodiversity and avoid negative environmental impacts from its operations. Care is also taken to protect animals, wildlife, and recreational areas. This means all feedstock to the Amli production plant will follow the same strict requirements.
Benefits of reducing travel distances
Locating our production plant in Amli, in the immediate proximity of forest raw material and the sawmill plant, benefits from reducing the total transport and reduce the carbon footprint:
- Shorter travel distance for raw material. This essential criterion is at the core of selecting the Åmli location for our first biofuel production plant.
- Wood materials and forestry by-products, which normally are exported, can instead be used as raw materials in our facilities.
