Veolia , a benchmark in optimized resource management, continues for another year developing work for the prevention of forest fires through its subsidiary Veolia Biomasa Spain, dedicated to the production, purchase and marketing of biomass. In 2020, the company managed to produce 105,019 tons of biomass, 30% more than the previous year.
The company is committed to the use of biomass, since it is an economical and environmentally friendly source of renewable energy because it reduces CO2 emissions emitted into the atmosphere . In this sense, thanks to its experience and specialization, Veolia Biomasa Spain is a vector to channel biomass management in a unified way, as well as the use of materials for their subsequent revaluation.
Cleansing to restore the effects of Filomena
11 days into 2021, Storm Filomena was responsible for the Community of Madrid, as well as many other regions of Spain, being affected by the biggest snowfall in more than 40 years. Snowy spells aside, these storms caused consequences that went beyond the closed roads, such as ice and its harmful effects in the collapse of trees and multiple deteriorations in building facilities.
With the aim of recovering the damaged areas after the storm, Veolia provided its services by carrying out maintenance actions on different properties in the Community. In this way, it carried out the cleaning of several private properties, all of them seriously affected since January.
Fire prevention and forest cleaning work
In addition to the cleaning work to alleviate the effects of Filomena and the various environmental activities carried out in various communities such as Madrid, Castilla y León, the Valencian Community or Navarra, among others, the company has worked in different areas of the provinces of Cuenca, Valencia and Alicante, which have been affected in the last year by natural disasters such as fires or storms.
For example, Veolia Biomasa carried out a series of recovery and improvement works on the pine forest mass in Jijona (Alicante) after the damage caused by the Gloria storm in January 2020. The actions, which have already been carried out in a surface of more than 350 hectares of forest, contemplated felling, extraction and elimination of dead, decrepit and diseased trees, which could be a source of pests and diseases for the rest of the vegetation. The work, in addition to cleaning the area, was intended to enhance the biodiversity of the forest, but without putting its conservation at risk against pests or forest fires.
As for recovery work in areas affected after a fire, the actions that the company is carrying out in Barchín del Hoyo, in Cuenca, or in Requena, in Valencia, stand out. In addition, Veolia Biomasa continues to collaborate with the Public Environmental Management Company of Castilla-La Mancha (GEACAM), carrying out preventive work for the creation of auxiliary strips and firebreaks in different areas of Castilla-La Mancha.
Biomass utilization work
Veolia also continues to carry out different tasks from the forest to the plant, producing thousands of tons of biomass for its clients. The most recent case has been the logging and removal of what was cut on the Duero Highway for the restoration and conservation of the Roman road. Many of the areas in which Veolia Biomasa España works are located in Castilla y León and, in addition to the previous service, this year it has carried out the use of sawn wood, posts and watertights in areas of Ávila, Zamora and Valladolid.
On the other hand, Veolia Biomasa also collaborates with companies in the energy sector or the board of the province of Soria and Salamanca. Precisely, the forest chips generated as a result of these forest clearing works are used for the production of thermal energy in the company's facilities for homes and industries. In fact, thanks to the figure of more than one hundred thousand tons of biomass produced in 2020, Veolia can supply heating to 40,000 homes for a year.
