Wood pellet producers are increasingly competing with pulp manufacturers for wood fibre, reports WRQ

摘要

The global wood pellet industry has developed remarkably fast, evolving from being practically nonexistent 15 years ago to being an important wood fibre consumer which is increasingly competing with pulp and wood-panel industry for wood raw-material. Global pellet production was close to 10 million tons in 2008, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. It is estimated that production will double over the next 4-5 years and some industry experts forecast an annual growth of 25-30% globally over the next 10 years. Europe is currently the major market for pellets, but the interest for non-fossil fuels in North America is growing. The new leadership in the US government is going to have a positive impact on alternative fuel usage and the expectedrnchange in energy policy could very well result in increased imports of pellets from Canada to the US, which will eventually diminish the flow of biomass from North America to Europe.