Research of wood fuel market in North-West of Russia

• Main Author: Loychenko, Alexandra
• Other Authors: Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto, Teknillinen tiedekunta, Ympäristötekniikka / Lappeenranta University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Environmental Technology
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Northwest Russia; wood fuel; pellets; export; transportation cost
• Online Access: http://lutpub.lut.fi/handle/10024/46824

The main purposes of this study are analyzing of forest sector of North-West and research of potentials of wood fuel market in this region. Research is focused on definition of the most perspective areas for export of wood fuel: logging residues, industrial wood processing residues, pellets and briquettes. Russian wood energy industry is very young in comparison with European countries. Nowadays there are no support and serious attention from the government to this sector. Hence almost all wood fuel market is oriented to the Western Europe. Export of wood fuel is dominated over the internal consumption. Pellet production in North –West is rapidly growing. Despite internal market has been developed the lion's share of pellets goes to export. Part of industrial wood processing residues is used by producers for their own goals, part goes to the export and rest of them is not used at all. Logging residues as raw materials for fuel have great potentials; most of them are left in a forest. Special techniques for their processing are too expensive for Russian entrepreneur. Some parts of North –West, which are situated close to the border with European countries, are potential for export. Political, economical and logistical challenges are complicated facilities for foreign customer to purchase wood fuel in remote parts of North-West. However some decisions for solving this problem exist and Russian manufactures are still interested in export of their products.