These organizations, in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, have been promoting sustainable infrastructure for years that reduces CO2 emissions, boosts the rural economy and strengthens sustainable forest management.
According to the AVEBIOM report on district heating networks in 2023, Catalonia leads in the number of installations, with a total of 241 networks. The provincial councils are demonstrating that biomass is a key solution for the energy transition, combining environmental sustainability, economic savings, and rural development. Their models offer replicable examples for other regions.
Barcelona: innovation and environmental commitment
The Barcelona Provincial Council is committed to biomass as a clean, renewable and local energy source. Marc Serra Solé, the president delegate of the Climate Action and Energy Transition Area, points out that «"Biomass is a great ally in the decarbonization of our municipalities."»
Over the past two years, municipal projects have received more than €15 million in funding. By the end of 2024, 56 new facilities will be operational, and the second edition of the program will be launched in the spring of next year. Renewables 2030 program, with an initial budget of 30 million euros allocated to heat networks and biomass.
Since 2009, the provincial council has supported 93 biomass installations, including 52 district heating networks, with a total capacity of 27 MW and a consumption of 12,000 tons of biomass from sustainably managed forests. This transition has prevented the emission of 16,000 tons of CO2. Furthermore, the new projects will generate annual cost savings of €2.6 million.
Serra emphasizes that «"The use of biomass instead of natural gas or diesel, in these last two years with very high prices of fossil fuels, has been of great help to the municipalities due to the economic savings it has brought them."»
The main challenges in recent years have been land-use planning, training for municipal technicians, and improving the quality of the biomass. Since 2012, more than 20 municipal technicians have received annual training to ensure proper maintenance and operation of the boilers. Environmental education and collaboration with municipalities and the private sector are also being promoted to expand this model.
Among the recommendations to other entities, The provincial council emphasizes the importance of promoting installations in high-consumption areas, offering technical support to local authorities, seeking financing to reduce costs, and ensuring quality projects by working with specialized companies. Furthermore, it underscores the need for monitoring, emissions control, and regular maintenance to guarantee the proper functioning of the installation.
Girona: the focus on sustainable forest management
The Girona Provincial Council has been promoting the use of biomass as an energy source for district heating networks since 2014, incentivizing the consumption of locally sourced wood chips from sustainable forest management. With 721,000 hectares of its land covered by forests, of which 571,000 hectares are wooded, the province has been working on strategic initiatives to combat climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Remei Aldrich Tomàs, an energy efficiency engineer from the Territory and Sustainability Area, points out that “Biomass is not only a renewable energy source, but also a key tool for forest management and fire prevention.»
Seventy-nine boilers and heating networks have been installed, generating 19,873 MWh of energy and reducing CO2 emissions by 5,258 tons annually. With an investment of €13.39 million and €4.88 million in subsidies, these networks contribute to the management of 14,317 hectares of forest and have facilitated the creation of 26 jobs in rural areas.
The biomass used is primarily wood chips, and although its price has increased following the crisis in Ukraine, the facilities have met their amortization projections. In addition to the economic savings, there are environmental benefits, as the risk of fires is reduced and ecosystems are improved.
The provincial council has active service plans at the energy and forestry levels to provide technical and legal support in biomass network projects and also to promote joint or municipal planning forest.
The tenders involve a mixed contract, combining works and services, with a minimum of 3 years of preventive and corrective maintenance and a full warranty for the installation.. Furthermore, along with the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia The system has been developed ForestHeat.cat, a system that allows recording thermal consumption, chip consumption, and its quality and traceability.
The resolution of challenges in technical design, thermal optimization and contract management has resulted in an experience that is being compiled into a handbook of best practices to share knowledge about implementation and operation.
The provincial council advises prioritizing the replacement of fossil fuel installations with biomass in high-consumption buildings and promoting municipal networks under the bioenergy community model, due to their better profitability and faster return on investment.
Currently, work is underway on new, higher-capacity municipal networks. The main challenge is securing funding and subsidies to mitigate fluctuations in natural gas prices and make investments more attractive.
Environmental education is also key to ensuring the acceptance and development of these networks. In this regard, educational guides and communication campaigns have been developed to raise awareness about the benefits of biomass. «"Raising public awareness is essential to consolidate this sustainable energy model and continue moving towards the ecological transition,", Aldrich says.
Tarragona: Local heating as a replicable model
Since 2013, the Tarragona Provincial Council has been developing the project «Proximitat Heat Exchange» Within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, with the participation of 182 of the 184 municipalities in the province, this program enabled the construction of the first nine district heating networks using wood chips and pellets, utilizing local resources.
According to Josep M. Prunera, head of the Ecological Transition Service, «"The reduction in energy costs has been exponential, allowing savings of 70% and reducing emissions by 500 tons of CO2 annually."» The high performance of the modern boilers installed has encouraged the replacement of old oil boilers.
The project had a total budget of €2.19 million, funded by the ERDF Operational Programme, along with municipal contributions. Management included project design, contracting, and construction supervision, all handled by the Provincial Council. The most common problems were related to boiler placement, silo design, and the local wood chip supply logistics. These challenges were overcome thanks to detailed planning and necessary adaptations.
Prunera highlights that the project It has worked as a pilot test and constitutes an example to be followed by other municipalities. Biomass-powered facilities allow “Promoting the rural economy and job creation, which helps combat depopulation””, and, furthermore, they are “an excellent tool for forest management and fire prevention.”.
Since 2021, an additional 2 million euros has been invested to support 37 new installations, including microgrids, boilers and stoves that replace fossil fuels with biomass.
Furthermore, it highlights the importance of strengthening the role of agricultural biomass in cooperatives or high consumption centers located in rural areas to promote, in addition to reducing emissions, the circular economy.