It comes from the Andalusian mountain and burns in French thermal

While Europe profile new sanctions Against Russia in the energy sector, the clock runs to fill the reserves for winter. In this context, France has decided to look south to supply its thermal plants and reduce its gas dependence: Andalusian biomass is placed in the center of the solution.

Short. From the port of Seville a new export operation of forest biomass has come out to an electricity generation plant in the French region of Provence and Costa Azul. As reported by the Junta de Andalucía through a press release4,200 tons of biomass have been loaded, from jungle treatments made in Andalusian mountains and managed by the Novalis company.

This operation is part of a public-private collaboration model that seeks to value the forest resources of Andalusia and position biomass as an exportable energy alternative.

A paradigm shift. This type of exports shows a deep transformation in territory management: what was previously a residue or a fire risk, today becomes a clean energy resource with international demand. Andalusian woody biomass not only generates renewable energy, but does it with a neutral fingerprint in carbon, contributing to the decarbonization objectives of the European Union.

In addition, active jungle improves the structure of forests and reduces plant load, which helps prevent forest fires. “For years conservation was confused with inaction and that has led to the abandonment of many mountains,” has pointed out in Europa Press The general director of Forestry Policy and Biodiversity, Juan Ramón Pérez Valenzuela.

The process. The model is based on the tender for forest exploits on public land, especially in areas of high ecological value and risk of depopulation. Cleaning tasks, clareos and jungle treatments are carried out by specialized companies. Once classified and shipyard, biomass is exported through logistics infrastructure to energy facilities in France, Italy, Denmark and Sweden.

Since the operation started in 2019, the port of Seville You have seen come out More than 400,000 tons of biomass: wood, cork and even olive bone that now serve to generate clean energy in Europe. Only the Sevillana Novalis company has moved more than 100,000 tons. If the exports also carried out from Huelva, Puerto Real or Almería are added, the total already exceeds 640,000 tons to countries of the north and east of the continent.

Now there is no bottleneck. Spain has been seen as a Cul-de-Sac energetic: With limited infrastructures and with hardly any interconnections with central Europe. But when he is interestedas this operation demonstrates from Seville, it can be removed to the sea and what was only gas in gas pipelines, now they are mountains converted into heat.

It is not the only case, since companies like Burpellet, in the small bourgeois town of Doña Santos, They consolidate this idea. With a production of up to 150,000 tons per year, its plant demonstrates that biomass can be a viable industrial solution for rural areas, without losing its local scale.

The mountain as the energy of the future. The Junta de Andalucía does not hide your bet. The operation in the port of Seville is a sample of the deployment of the Andalusian Forest Plan Horizon 2030, which mobilizes 300 million euros per year to promote the multifunctional management of the mountain. And it will also be the basis for a future mountain law that consolidates the productive and sustainable use of the territory.

At a time when Europe fears the cold of winter and heat of energy crises, Andalusia sends more than splinters: exports clean energy, active forest management and future for their peoples. The mountain, finally, is again the protagonist.

Image | Port of Seville

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