Expobiomasa 2023 concluded with a total of 9,596 visitors

The fourteenth edition of Expobiomasa concludes in an atmosphere of renewed optimism shared by the exhibitors and the 9,596 visitors who attended the event organized by the Spanish Biomass Association (AVEBIOM) , from May 9 to 11 at Feria de Valladolid..

Javier Díaz, president of AVEBIOM , points out that “the profile of the Expobiomasa visitor is increasingly specialized, more professional ; something that exhibitors appreciate because it makes it easier for contacts at the fair to materialize into profitable operations.”

Suppliers of forest biomass and promoters of projects to generate thermal energy on an industrial scale have established their first agreements at the fair in these three days and, in the domestic heating sector, confidence has prevailed in the recovery, already underway, of sales of stoves and boilers thanks to the gradual return to affordable prices for the consumer of solid biofuels.

Good prospects for the pellet market and the district heating networks.
As a finale to three days of activity, the conference hall was once again filled to capacity in its last two sessions , dedicated to two topics of great importance for the sector: the pellet market in Spain and Eur and the situation of district heating networks with biomass in our country.

Manolis Karampinis, head of business development at Bioenergy Europe Eur highlighted that last year bioenergy, including pellets, was the most competitive form of energy in Eur , and also in Spain, despite the increase in production costs that shook the sector and drove up consumer prices. “We have learned from our mistakes,” he explained, “and for the next heating season we do not expect as sharp a price increase as in 2022, since supply chains are being organized further in advance and more efficiently.”

Representatives from the country's most important biomass associations – AVEBIOM, APROPELLETS, AEFECC, the Bioenergy Cluster of Catalonia and the Biomass Cluster of Galicia – agree with Karampinis' analysis and predict a more balanced campaign between supply and demand in Spain for the coming season, due to easier access to raw materials than last year and the stocks held by users and distributors.

They also hope that the reduced VAT rate will be maintained for pellets and convey the need to extend its application to all solid biofuels (such as olive pits or almond shells) and also to combustion equipment and renewable heat supplied by ESCOs and heat networks to citizens and industry.

Biomass is the most competitive renewable energy for urban heat networks.
Veolia , Engie , REBI , DH Ecoenergías and Somacyl and the Valladolid City Council , builders and promoters of the largest biomass-fueled heat networks in the country, participated in the last session, co-organized by AVEBIOM and ADHAC.

The speakers made it clear: district heating networks powered by renewable energy, and especially those using biomass as their primary source, are a perfect solution for cost-effectively and efficiently decarbonizing cities. However, their large-scale deployment, and at a faster pace than currently possible, requires a specific regulatory framework, more information for citizens about the economic and environmental benefits, and a greater number of technically qualified companies to handle projects from start to finish.

ADHAC presented its report on heat networks showing that 8 out of 10 operate with renewable energy and that 76% of them use biomass.

Expobiomasa 2023 in figures

• 9,500 professional visitors, 20% more than in 2021.
• 460 exhibiting companies from 34 countries , dedicated to the manufacture of forestry machinery, solid biofuel and pellet industries, manufacturers, distributors and installers of air conditioning systems, promoters of heat networks, engineering, auxiliary industry, energy service companies and investment groups.