Wood pellet production in Sweden increased by 3.1 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. A new production record of 1 809 433 tonnes of pellets, an increase of 56 000 tonnes compared to 2021 was reached according to figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB) and a survey conducted by the Swedish trade journal Tidningen Bioenergi.
In energy terms, Sweden’s wood pellet production in 2022 corresponded to almost 9 TWh.
During 2022, the import of pellets to Sweden increased at the same time as the export of pellets from Sweden decreased. Net exports decreased from 129 000 tonnes to 34 000 tonnes.
An analysis of SCB’s statistics for the export of pellets month by month in 2022 compared to 2021 shows that exports increased in the first half of 2022 and then decreased sharply in the second half of the year, the same time when it was difficult to get hold of pellets in many places.
Overall, exports decreased for the entire year by approximately 50 000 tonnes, corresponding to 18 percent. Imports increased by 45 000 tonnes, corresponding to 29 percent, compared to 2021.
The combined effect of increased production, increased imports, and decreased exports led to an increase of the total amount of pellets placed onto the Swedish market by 150 000 tonnes, corresponding to 9.2 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.
The supply of pellets to the Swedish market in 2022 was 1 775 751 tonnes.
