With the growing demand for sustainable biomass in Europe, Lithuania-headed international biomass exchange BALTPOOL is introducing a new solution for its clients – a biomass traceability tool. This will enable market participants to determine the precise origin of the biomass and the raw materials used.
BALTPOOL currently operates in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden with some 5.5 TWh (2020) of woodchips, wood pellets, fuel peat, and lignin sold through the exchange.
From now on, before selling biomass, the seller will have to provide detailed information about its products. For example, indicating the exact location from where the biomass will be transported and under which contract, the quantity of the supplied biomass, and the raw materials that were used to produce it.
In addition to this information, it will be necessary to indicate any relevant certificates. An option to attach images of the raw materials will also be available.
After viewing all of the information provided by the seller, the buyer will be able to accept the fuel with the help of an online application. This is done by entering the necessary data during the biomass acceptance process: specifying the weight in tonnes, entering the data of the taken samples, and attaching images of the raw materials.
All of this information will be visible in the trading platform’s quality reports.
Calculate preliminary CO2 footprint
Both sellers and buyers will be able to use the tool to easily calculate preliminary carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, view statistics on the amount and type of raw materials, and the location from which they were transported under certain contracts.
The Biomass traceability tool will be available to the 465 or so market participants on the BALTPOOL website under the ‘Biomass Exchange’ section. Users can log in to the tool with the same credentials as for the BALTPOOL trading system.
When phasing out fossil energy, biomass fuels are an easy and efficient solution that works. With the new BALTPOOL biomass traceability tool, buyers will be able to demonstrate their compliance with the ambitious European sustainability criteria. In fact, bioenergy is currently the most controlled and sustainable energy source that we have, commented Gustav Melin, CEO of the Swedish Bioenergy Association (SVEBIO), and BALTPOOL partner in Sweden.
As of May 2021, biomass exchange participants can sell biomass that meets the sustainability requirements for a Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) certificate. This is especially relevant for Scandinavian and Baltic companies.
An SBP certificate certifies that biomass has been obtained from legal and sustainable sources and that the company producing it complies with the established requirements. The exchange also offers biomass products with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and ENplus certificates.
the precise origin of the biomass and the raw materials used (graphic courtesy BALTPOOL).
