At the end of May 2022, Koehler Renewable Energy GmbH (KRE) used new procurement and sales channels for the first time, whereby biomass fuel was delivered by barge to the inland Port of Kehl in Germany and successfully unloaded.
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In total around 8 000 tonnes of category AI-II waste wood will be barged to Kehl from Belgium from May until the end of the year. This amount equates to around seven to eight barge loads.
Waste wood in these categories primarily includes pallets from the automotive industry, as well as old furniture from private households.
This biomass fuel is used at the Koehler Renewable Energy (KRE) power plant in Kehl, run by Bioenergie Baden, and thereby directly supplies energy to the paper production processes at the Koehler Paper Kehl site.
Benefits for Koehler Paper and Zollikofer
However, having additional waste wood supplied by an inland vessel has not only a positive impact on the energy supply to the factory and thereby the Koehler Paper site in Kehl but also helps the growth of the majority-owned joint venture Zollikofer Group.
Expanding sales by ship means that a significantly higher amount of items can be bought and sold compared to standard channels via truck, at a similar distribution cost.
This both increases efficiency in sales with Zollikofer and alleviates the tense situation in the timber market in South Germany.
This first successful business arrangement has not only tapped into additional sales potential but has also created a clear position for us on the international stage, said Stefan Zollikofer, one of the managing directors in the joint venture between Zollikofer and Koehler Renewable Energy adding that more business operations involving different types of wood in southern and northern Europe are in the pipeline.
