AVEBIOM proposes two projects to the Government of Spain to bring renewable heat with biomass to 900,000 people

The two initiatives presented by Avebiom in December 2020 to the IDAE would mobilize 1,000 million eur and fully fit the objectives of the State's recovery, transformation and resilience , with which the Government of Spain will guide the execution of 72,000 million eur eur FUNDS until 2023.

The aim is to develop up to 100 new heat networks with local biomass, which would serve some 250,000 people in rural areas and, on the other hand, promote the replacement of obsolete heating systems with individual biomass equipment of the latest technology that uses biofuels. certified in 255,000 homes.

These projects are highly feasible in rural areas , where there is a high percentage of single-family homes that still use polluting diesel boilers, butane gas stoves and even coal in some areas to heat themselves, and where many gas stoves and boilers also continue to operate. Old-fashioned firewood, not compliant with the Ecodesign regulations.

Furthermore, in the target municipalities the potential of local biomass for energy uses is assured, either in the form of agricultural remains, biogas or residual forest biomass. 

According to Javier Díaz, president of AVEBIOM, “we have designed two ambitious projects, not only for the biomass sector, but for the country as a whole, as they clearly contribute to achieving a just transition and combating energy poverty, reducing emissions and increasing the share of renewable heat in the final use of energy . “Two initiatives completely in line with the objectives set in the EU by the Green Deal and developed in our country by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).”

Install 100 new biomass networks to provide heat to 250,000 people.
These heat networks would heat an area of ​​10 million square meters using 150,000 tons of renewable biofuels each year. With a global power of more than 1,400 MW, the project contributes more than 1.5% to the renewable heat objective established by the PNIEC.

According to the latest data collected by the Biomass Observatory, at the end of 2020 in Spain, 433 biomass networks and 50 projects were in different stages of development. To realize the increase in proposed heat networks, Avebiom estimates a public investment of 150 million euros, which would generate a traction of private investment of 225 million additional eur.

Replacing 255,000 obsolete equipment with state-of-the-art biomass systems
This important energy rehabilitation of homes would have very positive effects; On the one hand, the replacement of polluting equipment with biomass systems in accordance with the Ecodesign regulations would significantly reduce current emissions and, on the other, it would mean more economical access to heating for the entire population.

According to the Association's calculations, completing the replacement of equipment would benefit more than 635,000 people, 11.4% of the population living in towns with less than 5,000 inhabitants .

These biomass boilers and stoves would require 265,000 tons of certified biofuels per year; acceptable amount due to the capacity of national producers. 80% of national pellet production is already ENplus certified and there is another specific certification scheme for typical Mediterranean biofuels -BIOmasud- that is increasingly recognized and acquired by companies in the sector.

Achieving this massive equipment replacement would provide 115 KTEP of renewable gross thermal energy, contributing 3.2% to the increase in renewable energy for heat and cold that establishes the objective of the PNIEC . To achieve this, Avebiom proposes a public investment of 337 million eur , which activates another 321 million eur from the private sector.