Andalusia leads the biomass heating sector in Spain

Andalusia is the leading autonomous community in the biomass heating sector, both in terms of business volume, employment and number of stoves and boilers in operation, according to the 2019 Annual Report of the Biomass Observatory managed by the Spanish Association of Energy Recovery of Biomass (Avebiom).

The modern biomass sector, which operates with technologically advanced equipment, generated a business volume of 177 million in Andalusia in 2018, which represents an increase of 21.4% compared to the previous year, almost twenty points above the increase national average (1.7%).

At the end of 2018, more than 78,200 stoves and boilers were operating in Andalusia, with a nominal power of 2,300 MW. The manufacturing and marketing of the new equipment, as well as the maintenance and sale of solid biofuels, among others, generated an activity that employs 1,945 people.

Regarding the energy consumed by biomass equipment in Andalusia, it amounted to 183.4 KTEP, which has allowed the equivalent savings of almost 214 million liters of diesel in 2018.

The sector's contribution to the greenhouse gas reduction strategy is also relevant, since the more than 78,200 biomass equipment installed in Andalusia prevented the emission of 567,000 tons of CO ₂ , similar to the pollution produced by 378,000 passenger cars, the 6.8% of all regional mobile fleet.

Almost 300,000 stoves and boilers throughout Spain
According to the Avebiom Biomass Observatory Report, the sector generated a business throughout Spain of 870 million in 2018 (1.7%), which allowed the creation of 950 new jobs (the 11% more), until reaching the figure of 9,600 employed people.

At the end of the year there were 298,400 heating installations powered by biomass in operation, 53,480 more than the previous year.

The almost 300,000 heating installations operational at the end of the year prevented the emission of 4.1 million tons of CO ₂ in 2018, “which means that heating biomass has been consolidated as an indispensable instrument in the national strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gases, just as it is also in Europe.”