Fibreco entered the wood pellet terminal handling business, and is now one of the largest terminal handlers of export wood pellets in the world.
Fibreco unloads, stores and loads our customers’ wood pellets for shipment to Europe and Asia. The wood pellets are primarily used as a biomass fuel in electricity generation by co-firing with coal or used on its own. The wood pellet producers retain ownership of the product through the supply chain until they are sold to their customers. Fibreco is contracted for terminal services as part of the supply chain.
B.C.’s wood pellet production has grown dramatically in response to increasing biomass demand from European and Asian markets. To meet the increased demand, Fibreco built six new storage silos and a large flat storage shed to provide storage for 44,000 tonnes of wood pellets, which is equivalent to the volume required to fully load one Handymax or Supramax vessel, and plans to further increase storage as part of the Terminal Enhancement Project.
Wood pellets are a wood by-product typically made from compacted sawdust, shavings and logging residuals. Coupled with sustainable forest practices such as the forest management techniques used in B.C., wood pellets represent a clean, renewable resource with nearly limitless application – including providing a carbon neutral energy alternative to fossil fuels like coal. Wood pellets also have substantially lower moisture than wood chips or cordwood, making them more efficient for use as fuel. Trees capture carbon dioxide as they grow. This offsets the carbon dioxide released when wood is used for fuel. Switching from coal to wood pellets reduces 100% of greenhouse gas emissions.
The high density and uniform shape of wood pellets makes them efficient to transport by rail, store in standard, sealed silos, and export to overseas destinations. The B.C. wood pellet industry has provided hundreds of new jobs, significant environmental benefits, and complements traditional forest industry products.
Wood pellets are a wood by-product typically made from compacted sawdust, shavings and logging residuals. Coupled with sustainable forest practices such as the forest management techniques used in B.C., wood pellets represent a clean, renewable resource with nearly limitless application – including providing a carbon neutral energy alternative to fossil fuels like coal. Wood pellets also have substantially lower moisture than wood chips or cordwood, making them more efficient for use as fuel. Trees capture carbon dioxide as they grow. This offsets the carbon dioxide released when wood is used for fuel. Switching from coal to wood pellets reduces 100% of greenhouse gas emissions.
The high density and uniform shape of wood pellets makes them efficient to transport by rail, store in standard, sealed silos, and export to overseas destinations. The B.C. wood pellet industry has provided hundreds of new jobs, significant environmental benefits, and complements traditional forest industry products.