Biomass heating generated a business of 49 million in the Basque Country

The volume of business generated in the Basque Country by the biomass heating sector in 2017 amounts to just over 49 million euros, according to the annual report prepared by the Spanish Association for the Energy Recovery of Biomass, Avebiom, based on the data from the Biomass Observatory (observatoriobiomasa.es) managed by the association.

At the end of 2017, a total of 9,971 technologically advanced biomass installations (stoves and boilers) were operating in the region, 24% more than in the previous year, one point above the Spanish average.

This increase has not been transferred, however, to the overall turnover, which fell by 3.6% in the Basque Country, due to the fall registered in Bizkaia (-16%), not offset by the growth of the sector in Araba (3.6%) and Gipuzkoa (1.5%).

The largest number of operational teams is located in Vizcaya (3,980), followed by Guipúzcoa (3,101) and Álava (2,890), although it is in the latter that the greatest increase has been registered (24.9%) with respect to to fiscal year 2016.

The Biomass Observatory monitors, among other magnitudes, the evolution of technologically advanced stoves and boilers that are installed annually in Spain; Therefore, these data do not include those corresponding to traditional firewood-fueled equipment, such as old stoves, barbecues and others of lower efficiency.


Nearly 500 jobs
The productive activity carried out by the sector around the most technologically advanced biomass equipment is estimated to employ 447 people in the Basque Country, especially in the activities of sale and installation of higher efficiency stoves and boilers, maintenance of equipment and fuel supply (wood chips, pellets and other types of biomass).

The employment figure reached at the end of 2017 represents an annual increase of 11.43%, which is below the state average of recent years, which grows at rates of 15% (more than a thousand new jobs each anus).

According to the estimates of the report prepared by Avebiom, the biomass sector employs half a thousand more people in the Basque Country, linked to traditional activity (use of firewood) and electricity generation with biomass of forestry or agri-food origin.


Fight against climate change
Regarding the total installed power in the Basque Country, it rose to 523.6 MW in 2017, 13.13% more than the previous year, which is allowing the generation of a volume of thermal energy estimated at 76 kTEP, 11.17% more.

This greater substitution of biomass for heating diesel consumption (88.6 million liters) has also allowed a lower emission of greenhouse gases, which is estimated at 235,074 tons of CO2, thus contributing to the fight against climate change. climate by avoiding the pollution produced by 156,716 vehicles during a year, 11.8% of the vehicle fleet in the Basque Country.

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