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Coverage

Castilla y León (Spain)

Project time

July 2007 – February 2008

Objectives/scope

Main objectives) were to (i) describe and quantify the consumption and production of woodfuels in the Region of Castilla y León, (ii) assess and map the wood energy potential, (iii) provide on-job training to the staff of CESEFOR on the implementation and use of WISDOM , and (iv) promote follow-up action.

Institutional settings

Project FAO / Junta de Castilla y León GDCP/INT/001/SPA, executed by the Centro de Servicios y Promoccion Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León (CESEFOR) with technical assistance from FAO.

Scale/resolution

Raster cell resolution = 100 m
Administrative = Municipio (County); 2248 units.

Demand features

Residential sector consumption by Municipio based on census data with rural/urban population and on data on fuels used for households’ heating and on apartments’ surface and energy requirements. Industrial consumption by forest and wood industries consuming part of their own residues and cement factories.
The consumption was distributed spatially using the map of populated places as proxy of spatial distribution.

Supply features

The supply potential of woody biomass was estimated and mapped at great detail based on advanced elaboration of forest inventory data and forest maps through the CESEFOR’s models CubiFor and f-Evaluación, which allowed differentiation and location of resources by species, tree components and by assortments. This allowed to quantify the resources according to their suitability for particle board industry, the main competitor to energy for feedstock. The “commercial” fraction of the supply potential was estimated and mapped by applying a threshold of 10 t /ha of product available at end rotation.

Integration features

The combination of consumption and the total and “commercial” supply potential by various feedstock categories allowed to create several balance maps (see balance maps in Figure_).

Woodshed/bio-shed analysis

Woodshed analysis was implemented to determine the necessary supply zone of a planned biomass plant located in San Miguel del Arroyo, consuming some 80 000 tms*yr-1 producing 10 MWe. Several supply scenarios were considered including total and “commercial” resources as well as resources not suitable for particle board industry.

Integration with other aspects

Not implemented.

Findings/conclusions

The analysis revealed that Castilla y León has an important bioenergy potential but its development requires harmonization with existing wood industries. It shows that the supply potential of the woody biomass suitable only for energy use is not sufficient to meet the demand, but also that there is a considerable surplus of the resource suitable for both energy and particle board industry. From that surplus, approximately 1 million tonnes are currently available for energy uses. The study highlighted also the need for a careful planning of resources exploitation respecting the needs of all end users and the importance of distributing the biomass plants where the surplus is adequate and avoiding excessive competition among plants as well as with particle board industry.

Publications

Drigo R.., N. Campanero, F. Rodríguez y M. Broto. 2009. Editing M. Martin Larrañaga. 2009. WISDOM Castilla y León - Evaluación de recursos leñosos para usos energéticos. Project GDCP/INT/001/SPA Coordinated by M.Trossero, Departamento Forestal Servicios y Productos Forestales – Dendroenergía. FAO