Record deliveries of renewable energy in 2009

Sveaskog had a record year for biofuel transactions in 2009. Deliveries of renewable energy increased by 42 per cent, from 1.9 TWh to 2.7 TWh, and the profit was more than doubled. The extraction of felling residue - branches and tops - increased by 95 per cent, the equivalent of the energy needs of 25 000 houses.

"This shows that we are producing biofuel effectively in that production, logistics, and sales are well harmonised," says Roger Johansson, Biofuel coordinator at Sveaskog.

"In 2009 we delivered the equivalent of 2.7 TWh, and our goal is to increase this to 4 TWh in 2012. We are working on all fronts in order to produce more renewable energy and also to gain more customers," says Roger Johansson.

Felling residue consists of the branches and tops that are trimmed for the trunks. This comprises the majority of our biofuel production. The total supplied also includes energy timber; sales of this also increased in 2009.

The amount of forest felled in Sveaskog's production per year has remained fairly constant in recent years, and, consequently, so has the volume of residue. The fact that the extraction of residue, nevertheless, almost doubled in 2009 depends on several factors.

"The demand for residue has increased so we remove more than previously. And we have also become better at planning, felling and processing residue, which, in turn, has led to us being able to reduce our production costs," says Bengt Karlsson, Biofuel production developer at Sveaskog.

For more information, please contact:

Roger Johansson, Biofuel coordinator, tel +46 (0)70-601 51 03  
Bengt Karlsson, Biofuel production developer, tel +46 (0)70-374 55 62
Esbjörn Wahlberg, Press officer, tel. +46 (0)70-231 35 02