Södra reports marked increase in bioenergy products exports

Södra's main energy product market is Sweden, but the export market is growing. In addition to the Danish market, there is a major interest in Norway and large volumes are being used to replace coal in the UK. In Denmark, Södra's energy products are used by both individual consumers and large thermal power stations. Deliveries mainly comprise pellets and briquettes, but also shavings. The density of pellets and briquettes is higher than sawdust, which makes them more energy efficient. And when fewer vehicles are needed to transport higher volumes, this efficiency is doubled, Södra says.
"We haven't seen the end of this yet," says Gustav Tibblin, Director of Business Development at Södra. "Bioenergy is a future issue for all of society, and Södra's raw material has a very high standing in the market. The raw material from our members' estates comes from responsible and certified forestry, and we utilise every part of the tree.
New energy products
One example of new energy products is the briquettes, or "heat logs," that are made at the company's sawmill in Kinda. They are symmetrical bricks used as firewood in stoves, and are produced from the chips and sawdust at the final stage of the sawing process, after the timber has been dried and planed. The product is therefore derived from a secondary flow, and demand is growing:

"In two years, our annual production has grown from around 100 to 1,500 pallets," says Patrik Wass, Sawmill Manager at Kinda. "The briquettes burn longer and generate more heat compared with conventional logs."

Energy generation plays a natural role in Södra's operations, according to Gustav Tibblin, and Södra produces energy, electricity and fuel as part of all its processes - in the forest, in the mills and in the sawmills.

"The culture of Småland is deeply ingrained in our roots; we don't let anything go to waste," says Gustav Tibblin. "At the same time, society is undergoing a transition, and we have to replace fossil-fuel energy with bioenergy. We can, and want, to participate and contribute. Growing energy is what we do."

Facts: 
Bioenergy is energy derived from biological and renewable materials. Biofuel is fuel derived from biological materials that can be used in district heating plants, industry, vehicles, and so forth. Liquid biofuel is the type of biofuel that is used to power vehicles.