Spain and Canada seek greater collaboration in the bioenergy sector

“The webinar was an interesting first contact for our companies and also for Canadian organizations on a topic with great development potential in both countries, such as the generation of energy with biomass, an important resource in both Canada and Spain,” according to Javier Díaz, president of AVEBIOM.

Nadia Rego, trade attaché at the Canadian Embassy in Spain, stated that the B2B meetings concluded with a productive exchange of perspectives between Canadian and Spanish entities, which bodes well for increased collaboration in the bioenergy sector. The event facilitated more than 20 virtual meetings between companies and research centers from both countries during the week of March 22-25.

Canada is a giant in forestry production : it has the second largest forest area in the world, with 347 million hectares, and is first in sustainable forest management, with nearly half of its area certified by independent organizations (166 million hectares). The country exports approximately 3 million tons of wood pellets to Eur and other parts of the world annually .

Canadian consultant Murray McLaughlin reviewed the state of biomass within the framework of the national strategy to boost the bioeconomy, noting that the government supports the development of the bioindustrial sector (biofuels, biorefineries, biomaterials, bioenergy, and emerging technologies) and the implementation of clean technologies to meet its climate commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2050. Across the country, several clusters created with biomass as their central focus are increasing their activity, even seeking partners from other countries.

Pablo Rodero, head of international projects at AVEBIOM, explained the situation of bioenergy in Spain , highlighting the enormous potential in agrobiomass, whose energy valorization will be fundamental to achieving the objectives of emissions reduction (40%) and implementation of renewable energies (32%) in 2030.

The workshop hosted a roundtable discussion with representatives from two Canadian and two Spanish companies: Sonia Shoukry, CEO of Global Biocoal Energy; Forkus Martinez, Sales Director of PRODESA in North America; Bernie Pahlke, President of BEP Engineering; and Elías Hernández, CTO of ENSO. The discussion focused on the impact of digital transformation on the sector, the emphasis on modernization projects for biofuel production plants, and the opportunities arising from the application of innovative technologies to increase process efficiency and safety.