Abstract

A high tax on fossil fuels in Sweden and more extensive waste legislation in some densely populated European countries, e.g., Germany and the Netherlands, explain why the Swedish imports of wood-fuels and recycled wood-fuels have increased dramatically in the past few years.The industrial use of wood-fuels is strongly dependent on prices of competitive fuels, i.e., fossil fuels, but it is also affected by policy instruments. Energy policies have up to now mainly been national. The expected common energy policy of the European Union, stated in the EU white paper, will have important influences on biofuel trade. Sweden experienced a massive development of district heating systems during the last 20 years. Mainly due to the tax system's carbon dioxide tax, wood-fuels compete successfully on this market with fossil fuels and other untaxed biofuels.Imports help replace fossil fuels. This study, which is a follow-up of a 1993 trade study, examines the forces that drive the increasing biofuel trade in Europe and analyzes the Swedish trade in biofuels. In 1997 imports amounted to 15-24 PJ which is about one fourth of the total biofuel consumed by Swedish district heating and about three times that projected in earlier studies. Out of this, about half was classified as wood-fuels.

Published in

Title: Biomass: A Growth Opportunity in Green Energy and Value-Added Products
ISBN: 0-08-043019-8
Publisher: Elsevier

Conference

4th Biomass Conference of the Americas on Growth Opportunity in Green Energy and Value-Added Products

SLU Authors

• Hillring, Bengt

  • Department of Forest Management and Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Vinterbäck, Johan

  • Department of Forest Management and Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Renewable Bioenergy Research


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/66744