The earthquake, tsunami and resulting damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, also caused a seismic shift to the Japanese energy market&mdash;especially power generation. Before the disaster, the Japanese government attempted a power market reform numerous times, but Japan&rsquo;s utilities prevailed. A year after the terrible events, however, Japan&rsquo;s new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for renewable energy, as well as the first phase of the power market reform, launched renewable energy generation and demand that has made Japan one of the most attractive and promising markets globally. The government&rsquo;s 2018 strategic energy plan includes a target of 3.7 to 4.6 percent energy from biomass by 2030. The FIT for biomass power has created a substantial dedicated biomass power project pipeline of 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of capacity (inclusive of&nbsp; plants with capacities greater than 1 MW) to be commissioned in 2020 and beyond, in addition to 1.5 GW dedicated biomass power capacity already operating. Some of these new plants will further drive demand for wood pellets in Japan, which has seen substantial growth in the past year, and a new supply player: Vietnam. Until the end of 2018, Canada was the predominant supplier of wood pellets into Japan. In 2019, however, Vietnam is likely to have overtaken Canada as the main supplier. Trade data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance, shows the new landscape (Figure 1). This picture is unlikely to change even once the full year data becomes available. Whether Vietnam can hold the new leading position will depend on whether the Japanese government will eventually establish stricter sustainability requirements for wood pellets, which may be challenging for some Vietnamese suppliers. Currently, a government working group is looking at updating the rules related to palm kernel shells (PKS), which are anticipated to be finalized in 2020 and introduced in 2021- &rsquo;22. PKS is currently used as biomass fuel in many of the FIT-approved power plants. In 2018, from January to October, Japan imported more than 1.09 million metric tons (MT) of PKS, vs. about 1.26 million MT in the same period in 2019. Stricter sustainability requirements are likely to transfer some of the PKS demand to wood pellets. As of 2019, the largest consumers of industrial wood pellets are coal-fired power plants that have started cofiring. Based on FutureMetrics research, by the end of 2019, there will be a total of 16 coal plants (total generation capacity 8.3 GW) cofiring with wood pellets in Japan. There is an additional confirmed project pipeline of three plants (total generation capacity of 1.2 GW) that have announced wood pellet cofiring plans. The number of coal plants that are cofiring with biomass is likely to further increase, as 10 additional plants with a total of 11.6 GW capacity filed for FIT certification of their biomass portion in March and September 2017, respectively, but have not yet implemented the fuel change. Among dedicated biomass power plants, most above 1 MW are using domestic wood chips, woody biomass or PKS as fuel. Only five plants with a total of 171 MW capacity use 100 percent wood pellet fuel. The project pipeline beyond 2019 with 100 percent pellet fuel shows seven new plants with a total capacity of 523 MW. The 17 new plants (total capacity 837 MW) to be commissioned in 2020 and beyond plan to use a fuel mix of wood pellets and PKS. This may change due to the PKS sustainability standards. Looking at import locations for biomass fuel in Japan, there are 39 ports that have been used for biomass imports such as wood chips, PKS and pellets in 2019. In the period from January to September 2019, there were 17 ports with wood pellet imports of more than 1,000 MT (Figure 2). At this point in time, Japanese ports do not have wood pellet storage facilities. Some ports will likely invest in such facilities, should the demand for industrial wood pellets further increase, especially if more coal plants decide to cofire with pellets. FutureMetrics&rsquo; demand outlook for biomass in Japan takes into consideration numerous factors, including the overall Japanese government objectives regarding energy supply and cost. Japan is an island nation, and unlike Germany, for example, one of the benchmark countries for the Japanese government, the country cannot import electricity from the Asian mainland. There are no transmission lines between Japan and any other nation. All of Japan&rsquo;s electricity must be generated domestically. It is important to remember that Japan is the world&rsquo;s third largest economy behind the U.S. and China and is heavily dependent on exports. Japan&rsquo;s neighbors, especially China and South Korea, are strong competitors and Japan&rsquo;s government will always pursue a policy framework that protects the country&rsquo;s competitiveness. This includes energy prices as a cost factor&mdash;just like other nations, the government must balance objectives such as climate change mitigation and sustainability with continued economic success. Based on this, there will always be a ceiling price for electricity that the government is willing to accept. This can be seen in the downward&nbsp; trajectory of the FIT prices in recent years and the change to tenders with ceiling prices. In this context, FutureMetrics has developed several scenarios, one of which we are sharing in detail in this article. This scenario is based on our database of existing and confirmed future biomass power generation, including coal plants that are cofiring. We assume that PKS imports are reduced, starting in 2022, due to the new sustainability requirements imposed by the Japanese government. Since most of the PKS is used in FIT-approved fluidized bed boilers, we expect that these plants will be switching some of their fuel mix over to more domestic biomass and imported wood pellets. Additional scenarios include an increased number of pulverized coal-fueled, major utility power plants to start cofiring. As of July 2019, not all of Japan&rsquo;s utility-scale coal plants had applied for FIT certification for a biomass cofiring portion. This may change, as the other driver for switching to cofiring would be the ability to meet efficiency requirements. In 2016, the Japanese government released efficiency standards for thermal power generation plants. All new major utility coal-fired power plants should aim to have an efficiency of at least 42 percent, with a target of 44.3 percent efficiency by 2030, equivalent to so-called ultra-super-critical plants, or the most advanced technology available for commercial use. Existing plants should aim to have a heat efficiency of at least 41 percent by 2030. Plants that do not meet that threshold are encouraged to gradually ramp down operations. None of these targets are binding at this time, but it can be assumed that most operators plan to comply with these standards. One way to increase the calculated efficiency rating is to convert part of the fuel from coal to industrial wood pellets. If all the utility- scale pulverized coal plants in Japan were still running in 2030, they would need to consume about 5.8 million MT pellets per year, just to meet the minimum efficiency requirements. Assumptions are that pellets contain about 17.6 GJ, or 4.9 megawatt-hours (MWh) per MT and coal contains about 25.2 GJ (7 MWh) per MT. Given the Japanese government&rsquo;s objective for power prices, the continued growth of biomass power generation will depend on whether electricity can be generated at a total cost, including fuel transportation, lower than a certain Japanese yen (JPY) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) price. We know that the overall price trajectory is going down&mdash;the ceiling price for the 2018 biomass power tender was 20.6 JPY per kWh, and for the 2019 tender, we observed a ceiling price of JPY 19.6 per kWh. Likely, the government will further reduce the price per kWh. Can lower power purchase agreement prices still support future growth for wood pellet demand? A positive answer depends primarily on delivered price of the wood pellet fuel and the capital cost burden that is part of the cost of generation. A number of scenarios using FutureMetrics&rsquo; &ldquo;Ability to Pay&rdquo; dashboard for wood pellets shows that biomass power generation, especially using pellet fuel, can be profitable long term. It is up to suppliers to manage capacity, costs and especially supply security. The latter will always be key for the island nation of Japan. Therefore, it is up to Japan to develop efficient infrastructure and logistics, especially for pellet import and storage. The investments in liquid natural gas facilities show what is possible if a fuel type has long-term support by industry and government. A full Japan market overview and all detailed scenarios are available in FutureMetrics&rsquo; new report, &ldquo;Japan Biomass Outlook:&nbsp; Overview and analysis in the context of a changing power market,&rdquo; which was released in November. Author: Annette Bossler Senior Market Intelligence Expert FutureMetrics Inc. 207-529-2291&nbsp; Annette.bossler@futuremetricsinc.com

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Japan's wood pellet imports from January to October 2018 and 2019  

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Sailing into Japan: Wood Pellet Demand in a Changing Energy Market

After two strong years with the future looking bright, U.S. domestic pellet manufacturers are capitalizing&mdash;spending money where it&rsquo;s needed, mapping out production plans and devising near- and long-term growth strategies. For many, future visions of the industry involve collaboration with other industry stakeholders&mdash;not just pellet manufacturers, but those who design and build the appliances their products are used in, and those who sell both their products and appliances. A major initiative of the Pellet Fuels Institute is to bring more retailer and manufacturer perspective to the table, and thus, it has elected a number of representatives from these sectors to its board of directors. From the PFI&rsquo;s viewpoint, this collaboration is the best way for cohesive growth across all parts of the equation&mdash;from initial pellet production to the consumer removing ash from the burn pot. Retailer Realizations Adam Martin, owner of Martin Sales and Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, serves on the PFI board. His family-owned company has been in business for 40 years and sells many different makes and models of fireplaces and stoves, including gas- and pellet-fired, electric and more.&nbsp; &ldquo;We also sell the fuel, and we have a walk-in retail showroom where customers can come in and see product demos and different designs and styles,&rdquo; he says. Martin&rsquo;s store is full-service, meaning besides selling the appliances and fuel, it employs technicians who install, service and repair products. &ldquo;I feel this is the only way you can do this and be in business as long as we have,&rdquo; he says. After a couple of down years, 2018 was strong, Martin says, and this heating season is on track to be as successful as last year. Pellet appliances constitute about 40 percent of the store&rsquo;s overall sales. &ldquo;For pellets, we&rsquo;re in a unique situation where they are always very strong for us,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We never really have a down year, but we&rsquo;re known for it in our area because we offer the installation and service&mdash;our guys are sent to school for training, and that helps. Right now, compared to last year, we&rsquo;re about even.&rdquo; As for what initially catches the attention of consumers, Martin says it&rsquo;s the ease of use and convenience at first, but other factors play in as well. &ldquo;Many of my customers come in after burning wood for years, looking for something less labor-intensive,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp; &ldquo;Pellets come in 40-pound bags, and they&rsquo;re on the thermostat so they&rsquo;ll kick themselves off and on automatically. They can be vented directly through a wall to outside, so there isn&rsquo;t a required investment in a big chimney on the outside of their house. In general, the investment, the comfort and convenience are huge.&rdquo; On critical objectives for growing the industry, Martin says keeping pellet fuel prices low is at the top of his list. &ldquo;Everyone has their idea of what&rsquo;s important,&rdquo; he emphasizes. &ldquo;But we have natural gas available to us in the Pittsburg area. People love their pellet heat, but when the cost of pellets and natural gas levels out&mdash;whether gas is lower or pellets are increasing&mdash;some consumers will contemplate just turning their gas on, as it&rsquo;s easier than buying and carrying in pellets, and cleaning the appliance. It&rsquo;s really important that we&rsquo;re able to make wood pellets at an affordable price so it&rsquo;s a cost savings for consumers.&rdquo; That said, there is another component to price points, and Martin gives the example of big box and feed stores selling pellets at prices that specialty hearth retailers can&rsquo;t compete with. As a result, pellet sales at the store are far from being parallel with appliance sales. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s frustrating,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of a pressure point. If the big idea is trying to get appliance manufacturers, fuel manufacturers and retailers like myself on the same page to grow the sector&mdash;we all want that&mdash;the specialty hearth retailer needs some kind of support as well.&rdquo; Martin emphasizes he is not recommending producers stop selling to large feed and box stores&mdash;rather, perhaps they could provide a unique benefit to stores like his. &ldquo;Everyone has to make money, but the people selling the stoves need support,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The big stores don&rsquo;t know much about burning pellets, they don&rsquo;t offer service or installation, and if you go in and ask about a pellet stove, they might point you to four of them sitting in a corner and that&rsquo;s it. They&rsquo;re using pellets as a loss leader, selling the same brands in the same bags, below the price of what I&rsquo;m actually paying for them.&rdquo; One possibility Martin believes could work is a private label for specialty hearth stores. &ldquo;Sell to the box stores, but give us a bag with a different picture or label, so my customers don&rsquo;t come in and say they saw the same pellets down the road for $50 less, thinking I&rsquo;m hosing them. One of the best ways to grow the market is through stores like ours because we install to code, provide service, carry quality fuel and stay loyal&mdash;we just ask for the same thing in return.&rdquo; Another concept Martin believes could work is providing shared incentives to consumers&mdash;with fuel producers, appliance manufacturers and retailers splitting the cost. &ldquo;Often, we provide our own incentives&mdash;discounts or free pellets with a stove purchases. There is a $300 biomass tax credit, and that&rsquo;s a great sweetener. I can tell a customer about that, and that we&rsquo;re doing zero percent interest for 12 months, and we throw in a free ton of pellets.&rdquo; Some stove manufacturers already work with Martin on incentives&mdash;for example, a $200 discount on a Harman stove that is shared between the appliance maker and seller. &ldquo;We split that, each eating half of it,&rdquo; Martin explains. &ldquo;So one idea is that maybe a pellet producer could say that for each receipt of an appliance sold during certain months, they will sell pellets to us at a discount of $20 per ton. So together, we&rsquo;re getting the customer over the hump to buy a pellet stove, and it gives us a little advantage over the big box.&rdquo; As for ensuring consumers stay happy with their purchase, Martin says that after his customers&rsquo; appliances are installed and operating, about 70 percent of the service calls his store receives are related to a cleaning issue. &ldquo;One thing I recommend to manufacturers&mdash;and many that we sell already do a very good job of this&mdash;is to provide good directions of what needs to be cleaned and how often,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For example, YouTube videos of how to clean them, which are linked to their website. It&rsquo;s so helpful when we get a service call, to be able to direct them to a five-minute video to make sure they hit the right spots while cleaning, before we come out. You would be surprised how many times I have saved customers from a service charge by recommending they do this.&rdquo; As for online sales in the age of Amazon and convenient, on-demand purchases, Martin says he doesn&rsquo;t see that model working for pellet appliances. &ldquo;We find that the people who complain about pellet stoves or inferior fuel online&mdash;or maybe they can&rsquo;t find someone to service the brand they bought&mdash;are usually the ones who bought them online, or at a big box store,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;These are the ones you read about on blogs where people say they hate them and that they break down. Well, that&rsquo;s usually because of how or where they were purchased. You really do have to be trained to understand how the stove operates and works. I don&rsquo;t see it ever working out well for a pellet stove.&rdquo; John Shimek, senior vice president of dealer sales for Hearth &amp; Home Technologies and PFI board member, has views similar to Martin&rsquo;s, but acknowledges it&rsquo;s a sign of the times&mdash;one that is not going away. Manufacturer Mindset Hearth &amp; Home Technologies is headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota, and has manufacturing facilities and locations in seven states, producing and selling many popular brands including Heat &amp; Glo, Harman and Quadra-Fire. For internet sales, Shimek believes they are mostly comprised of the do-it-yourself market&mdash;people willing and wanting to, who have a way to install. &ldquo;But here&rsquo;s the challenge,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For pellet appliances, no matter how they are used, they need maintenance, and regularly. This is not like a gas fireplace that turn it off like a furnace, and you don&rsquo;t think about it. A pellet appliance requires the consumer to interact almost daily, and weekly at most to clean and maintain it, and ensure it&rsquo;s operating properly.&rdquo; Like Martin, Shimek says customers who buy online don&rsquo;t get the knowledge they would otherwise receive from a specialty hearth dealer. &ldquo;When you match an appliance to a consumer, it&rsquo;s important they understand exactly what it is they&rsquo;re going to have to do from an installation, service and maintenance perspective,&rdquo; he emphasizes. &ldquo;If the retailer provides that experience, then I feel okay&mdash;not great&mdash;about [online sales]. It&rsquo;s going to happen, and there is no way we can dictate how consumers buy or purchase, because they will do what they want. In a perfect world, this purchase would be made through a local dealer who would educate the consumer on the requirements of the appliance, but that&rsquo;s not how it&rsquo;s always going to play.&rdquo; As to how to grow the industry, Shimek says he thinks pellet heating suffers from lack of awareness. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t think consumers understand pellet heating is a viable, easy, safe and clean heating option for them, or that it even exists,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;For example, my brother owns three retail stores in Minnesota and has been in the hearth industry for 30 to 40 years like I have, but he never had a pellet appliance in his stores or would have thought about it.&rdquo; After his brother expressed an interest in heating his Wisconsin cabin&rsquo;s garage, Shimek recommended a pellet stove rather than liquid propane gas, and, after some reluctance, convinced him it wasn&rsquo;t difficult and the price was reasonable.&nbsp; &ldquo;Three years later, and he hasn&rsquo;t looked back,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;He thinks it is great&mdash;he just completely misunderstood how easy it would be to install and operate. Manufacturers of appliances and pellets and retailers need to band together and get that awareness message out, and clear up all the misunderstandings of how hard they are to operate and maintain.&rdquo; Another potential obstacle for industry growth is pellet availability, from Shimek&rsquo;s perspective. &ldquo;Every three or four years, we have run into shortages, leaving some consumers with a bad taste in their mouth,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re counting on it as a source of heat, and when they can&rsquo;t get it, they get angry. I think the industry has done much better in recent years&mdash;manufacturers of appliances and pellets&mdash;by staying in sync as to what true demand is, so we haven&rsquo;t had any major shortages recently.&rdquo; Stakeholders must continue working together to better gauge true demand, Shimek says, as pellet manufacturers can&rsquo;t do that alone, as they don&rsquo;t know how many new appliances are being sold into the market each year. &ldquo;They have a baseline, but it&rsquo;s difficult for them to tell if it&rsquo;s going to be a good year or bad year until it&rsquo;s too late, and they can only build so much inventory in the spring. I think that&rsquo;s another area where the appliance and fuel manufacturers and retailers can work together to better understand what&rsquo;s moving through the system to consumers, taking their base load and figuring out a growth rate to better plan production to meet needs.&rdquo; Like any technology, to stay competitive, innovation is needed on the manufacturing side, and Shimek says Hearth &amp; Home has some improved features coming soon. Innovation and the Future Consumers like to travel or go away for long weekends, but being gone for days poses challenges when an average pellet stove only holds a couple of days&rsquo; worth of fuel. Recognizing this, Shimek says this year, his company will release a product that will hold about twice as many pellets. &ldquo;Typically, when you try to design an appliance to hold more fuel, it&rsquo;s awkward-looking&mdash;the hopper is bigger than the stove, and it&rsquo;s challenging to figure out how to make it look good and balanced,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We have a unit that has dual hoppers on both sides and can run four or five days with normal usage, on a full load. So people can go away for the weekend and not worry about running out of pellets.&rdquo; Another improvement is control simplification&mdash;making it easier and more obvious to alter or maintain a stove&rsquo;s settings. &ldquo;Our older appliances had dials and control knobs, and it was intimidating to understand auger speeds and feed rates,&rdquo; Shimek says. &ldquo;Now, we&rsquo;re much more modern with touch controls on the top of the appliances&mdash;more intuitive, and just easier to run. You really only have to change the temperature, and after you dump in pellets, change the setting to reflect how full it is so that you know when to empty your ash pan. These two things are coming soon&mdash;more fuel capacity, and easier controls.&rdquo; Like last year, the current heating season has been strong, Shimek says. &ldquo;2018 and 2019 were good years. We&rsquo;re up a little over last year, and we put slightly more pellet appliances in the market in 2019 than 2018.&rdquo; Both Shimek and Martin are optimistic about the future of the domestic wood pellet industry and carrying forward the all-hands-on-deck mindset of many pellet producers, appliance manufacturers and specialty retailers. &ldquo;I have been on the PFI board for a long time, and it&rsquo;s very encouraging to see fuel manufacturers gather around standards, and manufacturers of appliances become engaged with that group,&rdquo; Shimek says. &ldquo;I think it will make the consumer experience of a pellet appliance much better as we move forward.&rdquo; All industry segments supporting each other will be key in delivering the best possible experience for users of pellet heat, Martin adds. &ldquo;Then everyone wins&mdash;we all make money, and at the end of the day, customers are taken care of and they write positive things on the internet because they had and get great service from their store, they have great fuel, and they have a great stove.&rdquo;
 ------------------------------------SIDE BAR--------------------------------------------------------
Pellet Stoves 101 SOURCE: U.S. EPA &bull; Pellet stoves have heating capacities that range between 8,000 and 90,000 Btu per hour. &bull; Most pellet stoves cost between $1,700 and $3,000, often cheaper to install than a conventional wood-burning heater. Many can be vented horizontally directly through the wall to the outdoors, and do not need a chimney or flue. As a result, the installed cost of the entire system may be less than that of a conventional wood stove. &bull; Pellet stoves require electricity to run fans, controls and pellet feeders. Under normal usage, they consume about 100 kilowatt-hours, or about $9 worth of electricity per month. However, U.S. Stove&rsquo;s GW1949 Wiseway eliminates the need for electricity by utilizing a gravity feed system that eliminates the typical electrical and mechanical parts found in traditional pellet heaters. &bull; Pellet stoves require weekly cleaning by the consumer, and annual cleaning by a professional. &bull; Most pellet stove hoppers hold between 35 and 130 pounds of fuel, which will last a day or more under normal operating conditions. Author: Anna Simet Editor, Pellet Mill Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961

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The Harman XXV-TC pellet stove features automatic ignition and temperature control, and 50,000 Btu output. 

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Martin Sales and Service is a specialty hearth retailer located in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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A specialty hearth retailer and appliance manufacturer weigh in on what might help facilitate further growth in the thriving U.S. wood pellet market.

The Other Parts of the Equation

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced roughly 846,450 tons of densified biomass fuel in September, with sales reaching approximately 869,000 tons. The data was released as part of the November edition of the EIA&rsquo;s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report. The EIA collected data from 84 operating manufacturers of densified biomass fuel to complete the report, which does not include data from facilities with annual production capacities of less than 10,000 tons, as these facilities report data annually, rather than monthly. The reporting 84 manufacturers had a combined production capacity of 11.8 million tons, and collectively had the equivalent of 2,301 full-time employees. In September, respondents purchased 1.6 million tons of raw biomass feedstock to produce 846,450 tons of densified biomass fuel, selling 900,000 tons. Production included roughly 195,400 tons of heating pellets and 625,900 tons of utility pellets. Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in September reached 237,265 tons at an average price of $165.93 per ton, compared to 218,000 tons at $157.56 in September 2018. Exports in September 2019 reached 631,871 tons at an average selling price of $162.67 per ton, compared to about 557,000 tons in September 2018, at $168 per ton. February inventory levels for domestic pellets saw the lowest numbers in many years, dipping below 46,700 tons&mdash;a 78 percent decrease in comparison to the same month in 2018, which recorded approximately 217,850 tons of inventory. Inventories of premium/standard pellets were at 340,472 tons in September, vs. 382,607 in the same month of 2018. Author: Anna Simet Editor, Pellet Mill Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961

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Pellet Mill Magazine reviews the U.S. EIA's most recent Monthly Densified Fuel Report. 

Fiber, Inventory and Sales

Forisk acquires North American Wood Fiber Review Forisk Consulting, a leader in North American forest industry and timber market research, has acquired the North American Wood Fiber Review from Wood Resources International of Bothell, Washington. The review, which tracks wood fiber markets in all major regions of the U.S. and Canada, will be published by Forisk as the Forisk Wood Fiber Review beginning this quarter. The Wood Fiber Review is the only publication that covers both the pulpwood and biomass markets in North America. The market report includes prices and market commentary for a dozen regions, tracking pulpwood, wood chip, and biomass prices in the largest and most dynamic wood fiber market in the world. &nbsp; Pinnacle, Westervelt, Two Rivers Lumber partner for Alabama pellet plant Pinnacle Renewable Energy announced plans to build a new 360,000-metric-ton-per-year pellet plant adjacent to an existing sawmill in Demopolis, Alabama. The facility is expected to begin commissioning during the second quarter of 2021. The Demopolis plant will operate under a single partnership with Pinnacle, The Westervelt Co., and Two Rivers Lumber Co. LLC, with each holding a respective 70 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent interest in the facility. According to Pinnacle, TWC will sell a 10 percent interest of its currently held 30 percent interest in Pinnacle&rsquo;s nearby pellet plant in Aliceville, Alabama, to TRL. Under the terms of the partnership, Pinnacle will operate the Demopolis facility and manage all aspects of customer relations, marketing, sales and logistics. A statement released by Pinnacle indicates the proposed Demopolis and Aliceville plants are located on the same river system. The location of the Demopolis facility will ensure finished pellets can be barged and loaded at the port in Mobile, Alabama, the same port used to export pellets produced at the Aliceville mill. Bosstek releases variable frequency drive for dust suppression In a move designed to bring unparalleled versatility to its lineup of highly successful dust suppression equipment, BossTek has introduced an optional variable frequency drive (VFD) system that allows users to adjust air flow to suit a broader range of applications and working environments. Driven by customer input from several industries, the new VFD system reduces the need to purchase or rent different models to match the machines&rsquo; output to specific project requirements, delivering greater flexibility and reducing the total cost of equipment ownership. The VFD control will be available via a simple dial or remote control on three of the company&rsquo;s DustBoss models: the DB-30, DB-45 and DB-60.&nbsp; All three use specialized nozzles and a ducted fan design to atomize the water flow into droplets 50-200 microns in size, which is the optimum for most dust control applications.&nbsp; Matching the droplets to the most common particle sizes delivers the greatest opportunity for them to collide and fall to the ground.&nbsp; The variable drive is ideal for standalone applications that require flexibility, communications and energy-saving options in a cost-effective solution. Port of Stockton makes first shipment of pellets The Port of Stockton announced that the first wood pellet shipment from the port was successfully loaded to the M/V Global Serenity in December. The pellets, loaded by Metro Ports, were shipped from Michigan by National Carbon Technologies. The shipment was roughly 2,000 metric tons of torrefied wood pellets destined for Japan as a trial shipment. The shipment is an important milestone for the Port of Stockton, said Richard Aschieris, port director. &ldquo;The port has been actively working with renewable fuels producers for several years now, and this shipment of National Carbon Technologies torrefied pellets advances the port&rsquo;s goal of diversifying our cargo base.&rdquo; The Port of Stockton is an inland facility situated on a deep-water channel located in the extended San Francisco Bay Area. Operating since 1933, the Port of Stockton is the fourth largest port in California and handles dry bulk, breakbulk, liquid bulk and project cargoes. The port is served by both the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads, with the Central California Traction Co. providing switching services on the port&rsquo;s belt line. Services offered by the port and its tenants include stevedoring, warehousing, inventory management and transloading. SBP certification system offers SDE+ compliance solution The Sustainable Biomass Partnership announced that its certification system now offers the complete solution for compliance with the biomass sustainability requirements of the Netherlands&rsquo; SDE+ subsidy program. The latest consents from the Dutch minister of economic affairs and climate policy are for Biomass Category 2 using a risk-based approach, and SDE+ Controlled Biomass with approvals already granted. These consents provide end-to-end solutions for the full range of woody biomass types recognized by the Dutch authorities. SBP&rsquo;s approvals under the SDE+ regime cover woody biomass from feedstock sourced from forest residues through the SBP group scheme, and now, through the SBP risk-based approach for Biomass Category 2, as well as processing residues. The additional approval for SDE+ Controlled Biomass covers biomass that meets a subset of the full sustainability requirements, which is acceptable to be physically mixed (according to prescribed limits) with sustainable biomass. Report predicts strong growth in US pellet exports to Japan A report recently filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service&rsquo;s Global Agricultural Information Network indicates Japan&rsquo;s market for wood pellets is expanding rapidly. While the policy-driven market opportunity for foreign wood pellet suppliers is exceptional, the report states U.S. suppliers remain on the margin. Japan imported 1.44 million metric tons (MT) of wood pellets in 2019, up from 1.06 million in 2018 and 506,000 in 2017. Cur&shy;rently, Canada is the primary supplier of wood pellets to Japan. Japan&rsquo;s domestic wood pellet production reached 135,000 MT in 2019, up from 131,000 in 2018 and 127,000 in 2017. According to the report, the country currently has 155 wood pel&shy;let plants, up from 154 in 2018 and 147 in 2017. Consumption of wood pellets has grown rapidly, from 626,000 MT in 2017 to 1.168 million MT in 2018 and an estimated 1.559 million in 2019. According to the report, biomass power plants in Japan are looking for reliable, long-term supplies of biomass. As a result, wood pellet exports to Japan are expected to significantly in&shy;crease. The report estimates the U.S. will begin to take part in the Japanese market, with exports exceeding 3 million MT per year by 2025. Enviva awarded construction permit for Alabama pellet plant The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has approved a permit allowing Enviva to construct a wood pellet facility in Sumter County. The plant&rsquo;s planned permitted capacity is expected to be 1.15 million metric tons, initially constructed to produce 700,000 metric tons of wood pellet per year with the option to expand. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in early 2020, subject to final investment approval, and is expected to take approximately 15 to 18 months. Once operational, pellets produced at the plant are expected to be transported by barge via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Enviva&rsquo;s planned deep-water marine terminal that is under development in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The pellets will be exported to customers in Europe and Asia.
Support for woody biomass included in spending, tax deals In the final week of the 2019 legislative session, Congress passed a $5 million allotment for the new Community Wood Energy and Innovations Program in the massive $1.4 trillion spending deal, extended the Section 25C wood and pellet stove credit, and reauthorized the carbon neutrality of biomass policy, the Biomass Thermal Energy Council reported. BTEC applauded Congress and President Trump, and extended gratitude to its bipartisan congressional champions, including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire; Angus King, I-Maine; Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire; and Reps. Annie Kuster, D-New Hampshire; Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts; Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; Peter Welch, D-Vermont; and their staff. BTEC also thanked its numerous coalition partners, including Orion Advocates and Innovative Natural Resource Solutions. Mitsubishi plans biomass conversion of Japanese power plant Japan-based Mitsubishi Corp. announced plans to convert the coal-fired Suzukawa Energy Center Ltd. to biomass. The 112-MW plant is expected to begin producing renewable energy from wood pellets in April 2022. In a statement, Mitsubishi said it made the decision to launch the biomass conversion project after having come to terms on conditions for procuring wood pellets and completing arrangements for a non-recourse&nbsp; project finance. Mitsubishi, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mitsubishi Corp. Power Ltd., and partners Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. and Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc., established the Suzukawa Energy Center in September 2013. The partners have been in discussions since then to develop a dedicated biomass power generation project at the site. The conversion supports Mitsubishi&rsquo;s goal to have renewable energy businesses account for more than 20 percent of its power generation assets by 2030. Peterson introduces 1710D horizontal grinder Peterson Pacific Corp., a Eugene, Oregon-based manufacturer of horizontal grinders, drum and disc chippers, blower trucks and screens, has introduced the Peterson 1710D horizontal grinder to its product line. &nbsp;The 1710D is ideal for mulch, compost, or small pallet grinding operations, as well as municipalities looking for a smaller, tracked machine, but still needing excellent throughput for a grinder of this size. The 1710D&rsquo;s large feed opening measures 54x27 inches. When boosted by Peterson&rsquo;s high-lift feed roll, the feed opening&rsquo;s maximum lift of 41.5 inches can tackle the largest of feedstock and allows excellent accessibility to the rotor for maintenance. The 1710D horizontal grinder is equipped with a Caterpillar Tier IV C9.3B 455-horsepower (HP) engine, or an optional, export-only C9.3B Tier III, 415-HP engine. At 46,500 pounds, it is one of the lightest of Peterson&rsquo;s grinder series and is easily transportable. BC Forest Enhancement Society, government partner to prevent slash burning The Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, in partnership with the B.C. government and the government of Canada, is providing $1.4 million in funding to address the economic viability of processing low-grade fiber by supporting the incremental hauling costs to Okanagan-based BC EcoChips Ltd. About 325,000 cubic meters of normally unmerchantable wood fiber will be saved from burning in slash piles over the next four years, according to FESBC. Over 35,000 cubic meters have already been hauled and chipped since spring 2019. The project is being managed by Westwood Fibre Resources Ltd. of Kamloops. Tops are estimated to be about 10 percent of the total primary harvest per year, FESBC reported. When a tree is cut up into logs, the treetop is typically discarded as waste and then burned to comply with legal requirements. Through this project, the tops are recovered and converted into pulping chips and marketed in the southern interior and coast of B.C. The fiber will help support jobs in pulp mills and bioenergy plants. Drax sets ambition to become carbon negative by 2030 Leading British energy company Drax Group Plc has announced ambitions to become carbon negative. CEO Will Gardiner said doing so will depend on an effective negative emissions policy and investment framework for new technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). Being carbon negative means that Drax will be removing more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than it produces throughout its operations, creating a negative carbon footprint for the company within a decade. Drax is already running a successful BECCS pilot at its power station, capturing 1 metric ton (MT) of carbon dioxide every day, with the eventual possibility of using BECCS across all four of its biomass generating units, capturing 16 million MT of CO2 a year. White joins Drax as senior vice president Drax Biomass Inc. has hired Matt White as its new senior vice president to run Drax&rsquo;s U.S. biomass operations from its headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana. White joins Drax from Rockwater Energy (now Select Energy Services), a chemicals and logistics provider to the oil industry, where he was director of manufacturing and engineering. Most of White&rsquo;s career has been in manufacturing management helping organizations grow, adapt to change and increase safety and efficiency by developing high-performing teams. A mechanical engineer by background, White has worked in a number of sectors including air products and chemicals, and with Solvay&rsquo;s guar/oxide manufacturing. On his new position, White said, &ldquo;This is an exciting time to join Drax Biomass as the business seeks to grow its wood pellet output to 5 million [metric] tons per year while maintaining a focus on safety and operational excellence. Drax has an impressive commitment to support the communities in which it operates by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local development, so I am looking forward to the opportunities ahead.&rdquo; Dyantrol highlights level detection for steam with Armoloy protection Dynatrol DJT level detectors can provide measurement of high-, intermediate- or low-level detection in temperatures exceeding 300 degrees Fahrenheit, easily obtaining bulk solids level measurement in surge bins or hoppers. Armoloy-coated Dynatrol models are designed for pelletizers using steam where pitting can damage the detector probe. Crafted in the U.S. for more than 60 years, all Dynatrol point level detectors are constructed for a long operating life with no moving parts, gaskets or seals to deteriorate. They are factory calibrated, requiring no field adjustments. When combined with the EC-501A control unit, process control equipment, level alarms or indicator lights can be actuated.

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A carbon capture use and storage incubation area at Drax Power Station

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Petersonâ€™s 1710D horizontal grinder

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Business Briefs

For several groups of components, equipment manufacturers do not offer single parts. Specialized service providers, however, can offer alternatives that save money and outage time while supporting the local economy. In this column, I will share a case solved for a German customer, changing a worn hammermill shaft instead of installing a whole new rotor. Pelleting equipment must withstand high stress, vibration and wear. Even the best maintenance plan and operating supplies do not prevent fatigue and breakdowns. Therefore, components such as shafts, bearings, gear wheels, pinions and so on will fail at some point. Besides the general inconvenience, failures usually happen on a Friday afternoon, and equipment manufacturers tend to quote component groups rather than single components&mdash;especially hammermill equipment from various manufacturers, which is often sold in component groups rather than single parts. Finding How-to We were challenged in October with finding an alternative solution to swapping the rotor of a hammermill with a worn shaft. The reasons for finding another option were high component costs and lead times. We decided to locally source a turning shop and pull the shaft, rather than waiting for the rotor. This option offered several advantages. For the comparison, we first took the preparatory work into account. Disassembling the rotor takes at least two days, as it requires stripping the hammers, removing the housing, and clearing the feed chute, conveyors and other surrounding components. In addition, with the rotor weight of 1.5 tons, special lifting equipment is needed. Removing the shaft, on the other hand, requires approximately four hours of jacking and locking the rotor, removing the bearings and pulling the shaft. Next, we evaluated component and transportation costs. A rotor is priced around $23,000, while a shaft from a nearby turning shop costs about $3,000. In our case, the rotor had a delivery time of 14 to 16 weeks, compared to three days for the locally lathed shaft. Although transportation costs might be included when buying large components from an OEM, the environmental footprint is significantly lower with local sourcing of single parts compared to shipping large components from the manufacturer&rsquo;s storage or production facility, which is often overseas. The table included shows the simplified cost comparison for swapping the rotor vs. pulling the shaft (not including the call-out fee, which is similar in both scenarios), component transportation and downtime costs. Lean and Local Sourcing As a customer-oriented, OEM-independent, full-service provider, we were able to find a solution for less than a quarter of the cost, saving time and money. The concept of lean and local sourcing not only strengthens the local economy and reduces the environmental footprint, but it is also applicable with several components such as sifters and screens, flanges, shafts and pinions, and lately, scrapers and deflectors as well. Often, it takes a third party to overcome organizational blindness, and we are happy to support customers with fresh ideas and field-proven inputs. Author: Holger Streetz Director of Business Development, Bathan AG &nbsp;h.streetz@bathan.ch bathan.ch

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Specialized service providers can offer alternatives that save money and outage time while supporting the local economy.

Spare Part Reflections

In January 2016, the U.S. Energy Information Administration launched the Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, finally providing industry participants and observers with regular, reliable information about monthly production, inventory levels and production specifications. While lagging the calendar by roughly 90 days, the data accumulated so far indicates 2019 was the most successful year for producers of residential wood pellets since reporting began. The data confirms what many in the industry suspected would happen when the calendar flipped a year ago: Carryover inventories in most regions were nearly nonexistent, and forecast demand was high. The bottleneck that most producers were concerned about early in the year was the availability of feedstock, as the hardwood sector continues to reel from an ongoing trade war with China that has all but halted shipments of hardwood lumber to every producer&rsquo;s largest foreign buyer. While the data points to the highest levels of production since the report began, conversations with producers reveal that production and sales could have been even higher, had more feedstock been available. The past year saw throughput at wood pellet production facilities nearing capacity and remaining there for most of 2019. In the East, production averaged just below 100,000 tons per month through September, with the July to September inventory buildup throttling&nbsp; to 110,000 tons per month. To place these recent numbers in context, consider that monthly production in the East averaged just 85,000 tons in 2018 and 65,000 in 2017. Production in the West is also at an all-time high, but the numbers aren&rsquo;t as eye-popping as those in the East. Average monthly production in 2019 (through September) in the West was 36,717, compared to 33,000 in 2018 and 33,750 in 2017. These production increases beget increased sales and cash flow. A 15,000-ton-per-month increase in the East translates to more than $2.5 million in new revenue each month when considering the average reported per-ton price of $175. These increased revenues are a welcomed sight on producer balance sheets. Amidst all these record production levels and increased plant revenues are some reasons for concern, none more glaring than the historically low inventory levels throughout most of the pellet-producing regions. The industry began 2019 with uncomfortably low inventory levels, and when the reporting catches up, it will likely find 2020 in a very similar place. The East began the year with just 22,000 tons of inventory and struggled to stockpile anything until buying died off in April. September saw producers in the region with just 77,000 tons of inventory on the ground. Compare that to 100,000 tons last year and 290,000 tons in 2017. While the optimal inventory level number is debatable, the fact is producers and buyers alike aren&rsquo;t comfortable with current inventory, but building them right now remains a challenge. Returning inventory levels to more comfortable levels will be a high priority for producers in 2020, but that effort will have to wait until the 2019-&rsquo;20 heating season ends. At the beginning of the year, I had a conversation with a producer-member who shared with me that, given a choice between too much demand and too little, he would rather manage the challenges of too much demand. That&rsquo;s where the pellet industry finds itself as 2019 draws to a close. Producers are shipping product as fast they can make it, and retailers are casting their nets far and wide to keep their customers stocked with pellets. Somewhere within this year of historic production and sales and low inventories is the story of pellet demand generated by the meteoric rise in interest in wood pellet barbeque grills. The real number of appliances sold each year remains difficult to determine, but the consensus is that the industry is selling more than 1 million wood pellet barbeque grills and smokers a year, and for now, there doesn&rsquo;t seem to be any sign of a slowdown. This demand puts further pressure on available fiber, press time and inventories, and this, too, will get producer and retailer attention in 2020. If a sector&rsquo;s health is determined by the opportunities in front of it, it would be hard to argue that the residential wood pellet industry has ever been healthier. Author: Tim Portz Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute tim@pelletheat.org www.pelletheat.org

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If a sector's health is determined by the opportunities in front of it, it would be hard to argue that the residential wood pellet industry has ever been healthier.

A Banner Year

It&rsquo;s a new year, and the future is bright for the North American wood pellet industry. If I had to choose one thing to say about this issue, it&rsquo;s that it exudes optimism and opportunity&mdash;for both the domestic and export industry segments. On domestic production, Tim Portz, executive director of the Pellet Fuels Institute, writes in his column on page 8 about the &ldquo;banner year&rdquo; the industry had last year. At the outset of 2019, carryover inventories in most regions were nearly nonexistent and forecast demand was high, Portz says, adding that with another strong year underway, &ldquo;it would be hard to argue that the residential wood pellet industry has ever been healthier.&rdquo; Now, producers are devising strategies to meet growing demand, and the best way to do this may be working with appliance retailers and manufacturers to plan future production and manage inventory. That collaboration is the topic of my page-16 feature, &ldquo;The Other Parts of the Equation.&rdquo; For the story, I interviewed a specialty hearth retailer and pellet stove manufacturer about their ideas on how to collaborate to grow the industry. From shared incentives to supporting each other&mdash;the industry&rsquo;s true stakeholders&mdash;Adam Martin, owner of Martin Sales and Service, and John Shimek, senior vice president of appliance sales at Hearth &amp; Home Technologies, shared many of the same viewpoints. About that reciprocated support of all segments of the market, Martin says, &ldquo;Everyone wins&mdash;we all make money, and at the end of the day, customers are taken care of.&rdquo; Moving on to the industrial pellet sector, make sure to check out &ldquo;Sailing into Japan: Wood Pellet Demand in a Changing Energy Market,&rdquo;on page 22. The piece, written by Annette Bossler of FutureMetrics, provides an overview of policy changes in Japan and how they are leading to huge demand for imported wood pellets. The country&rsquo;s feed-in tariff for biomass power has created a substantial dedicated biomass power project pipeline of 2.8 gigawatts of capacity to be commissioned in 2020 and beyond, on top of the 1.5 GW of dedicated biomass power capacity already operating. Bossler writes that, as a result of this increasing demand, Japan will need to develop efficient infrastructure and logistics, especially for pellet import and storage. In summary, opportunities abound for wood pellet manufacturers, and in Pellet Mill Magazine&rsquo;s 10th year of production, we look forward to bringing you another year of exclusive and valuable data, insight and information. Author: Anna Simet Editor asimet@bbiinternational.com

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It's a new year, and the future is bright for the North American wood pellet industry. This is true for both the domestic and export industry segements. 

January/February Pellet Mill Magazine

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Spare Part Reflections

A Banner Year

New Year, New Decade

Featured

The Other Parts of the Equation

Contributions

Sailing into Japan: Wood Pellet Demand in a Changing Energy Market

Departments

Fiber, Inventory and Sales

January/February Pellet Mill Magazine.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Spare Part Reflections

A Banner Year

New Year, New Decade

Featured

The Other Parts of the Equation

Contributions

Sailing into Japan: Wood Pellet Demand in a Changing Energy Market

Departments

Fiber, Inventory and Sales

January/February Pellet Mill Magazine