Austrian study tour report (German version) (Zip.file 1498 MB)

Report on the Austrian study tour (English version) (Zip.file 200 MB)

Under the project from the 3^rd to the 10^th of October the delegation of Belarusian technical specialists and directors composed of 11 persons took part in a training trip to Austria to study its experience in use of biomass (waste wood) in the provision of heat and electricity production.

The Byelorussian delegation

The major objective of the training trip was to study technologies, equipment, practical and administrative experience of Austria in the realization of logging, waste wood collection, processing and transportation to energy units.

The membership of the delegation was formed in the way to involve all the sections of technological process: from the growth of wood to logging and firewood supply. The delegation was headed by Mr. L. Shenez, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Energy Efficiency under the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. The delegation also included representatives of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Committee on Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Energy, concern "Bellesbumprom", Byelorussian State Technological University (BSTU).

The delegation of Belarusian specialists visited 12 sites, including forest units of private forest owners, where logging was carried out. Our specialists were given an opportunity to study a complete cycle of firewood getting, processing, transportation and use.

During the visit to the energy agency in Graz Belarusian specialists had an opportunity to learn about the activity of the agency on the development of bioenergy policy (i.e. the policy mainly aimed at the development of energy based on firewood use), and also on technical cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe in energy sector.

During the visit to the energy agency in Graz

The experience of Austria is of great interest for Belarus in view of similar energy situation: low provision of local fuel-energy resources, availability of big wood supply, similar climatic conditions.

Austria is a forest country. With the territory of 8387 thousand hectares forests cover 3900 thousand hectares or 45% of the territory. 82% of forests constitute private property of 227000 forest owners. Forest resources constitute 1,1 billion m³ (282 m³ per 1 hectare).

More detailed comparative data are listed in the following table.

Logging system of Austria is mainly based on shelterwood cutting (final wood cutting is permitted on areas of no more than 5 hectares). Forest age for cutting starts from 80 years. Annual logging constitutes 21 mln. m³.

Logging wastes (branches, boughs, etc.) remain in forests, but consumers interested in their usage can freely accomplish their collection and removal. If it is planed to use them in the provision of fuel in this case they are stocked along wood-roads for 0,5 - 2 years for natural predrying.

Procured fuel wood is sold on average 10 euro for 1 m³. Decomposition of wood on fuel woodchips is carried out whether on the territory of a heat station or quarter-space landings between places of logging and the heat station. Average costs of decomposition on chips constitute 2-3 euro for 1 m³ of bulk weight.

In the whole technological process (from biomass to energy production) forest owners receive state financial support. For example, for woodroad building - up to 50% of total costs, and financial backing of energy producers through regulation of the tariffs on produced energy.

Part of investment outlay aimed at biomass harvesting and transportation constitutes 30-40% of total costs aimed at heat and electricity production depending on the capacity of a boiler house or a heat station.

In the provision of firewood Austria uses:

• Firewood. Its cost in forests constitutes 10 euro for 1 m³, and with delivery reaches 25 euro for 1 m³.
• FRaw waste lumber (lump, sawdust, barker refuse). The cost is fluctuating from 5 to 9 euro for 1 m³,
• FForest residues. As mentioned above are supplied freely.

The analysis of the used process logging patterns demonstrates that the expense ratio in the structure of woodchips cost together with delivery constitutes:

• felling, 17 - 64%,
• biomass transportation, 0 - 36%,
• decomposition on woodchips, 17 - 51%.

On average in Austria the cost of 1 MW of one hour of energy supplied by a biomass fired boiler house constitutes 22,7 euro that is 1,5 times as much if supplied by an oil fired boiler house.

Part of waste wood of the energy balance in Austria is significant and one of the biggest in the world.

The structure of the fuel-energy balance of Austria during 2000: oil - 35%, gas - 20%, renewable resources (biomass) - 13%, electricity - 20% (including HPS - 12%), coal - 9%, other - 3%.

Today biomass constitutes about 20% of the country's fuel balance, and the annual increase of biomass use grows by 1%.

It became possible due to the policy decision of the Government to refuse from the extensive use of natural gas and to substitute it by biomass.

The most profitable method of biomass usage, which is in common practice in Austria, is a joint heat and electricity production.

The analysis of Austrian experience demonstrates that for the extensive firewood use it is necessary, first of all, to develop the respective infrastructure of logging, woodchips processing and transportation. The infrastructure should be based mainly on domestic equipment (on the basis of MAZ and MTZ machines). It will be necessary to produce modern large (with the transportation capacity up to 100 m³ of chips) road-trains of chip trucks, woodchip trucks with removable containers with the capacity up to 30 m³, movable chipping machines and other facilities and machinery.

Austrian experience also demonstrates that for the development of such infrastructure and promotion of building of modern firewood boiler houses or transfer of existing boiler houses from fossil fuel to biomass it is necessary to have a considerable state support (both financial and tax).

On the results of the training trip to Austria we can make the following conclusions:

1. Biomass (first of all wood) is a valuable fuel for heat and power production not inferior to natural gas. It has a number of advantages as compared to different types of fossil fuel:

Biomass potential in Belarus constitutes 9-10 mln. m³ or 12-15% of the present consumption of heat-and-energy resources in the country.

The most effective method of firewood use is a combined heat and electricity production by a heat station.

2. For the extensive use of waste wood in the provision of power-plant fuel, under the consideration of foreign experience, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive program aimed at the development of the respective infrastructure of logging, firewood processing and transportation. Respective hardware, machinery and resources are needed to make this branch profitable.

In the development of this program should take part Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Economy, the Committee on Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Industry and other interested parties.

The program should reflect the issues of the development of the infrastructure of logging, firewood processing and transportation, the issues of the development of a normative-legal base, implementation of financial-economic mechanisms which promote the extensive use of firewood, and also the issues of the production of modern machinery to provide logging enterprises with modern high-performance domestic machinery for waste wood collection, processing and transportation.