The 2025 edition reflects a stable, professionalized sector with greater productive capacity, and shows the consolidation of the SURE certified wood chips as a benchmark sustainable biofuel for heat networks and industrial applications.
More pellet factories and adjustment of domestic production
The latest inventory identifies 65 active pellet factories in Spain, two more than on the previous map, prepared with data from 2023.
According to data reported by producers to AVEBIOM, the Actual pellet production in 2024 was 529,337 tons, compared to 681,706 tons in 2023, which implies a reduction of 22 %.
Pablo Rodero, president of the European Pellet Council and head of certification at AVEBIOM, explains that “National pellet production has decreased in 2024 because many factories have adjusted their activity to release the excess product accumulated after the 2022 season. It has not been a question of lack of demand, but of market rebalancing.”.
In 2022, many consumers brought forward their purchases due to the energy crisis, but the mild winters that followed reduced actual consumption. As a result, the sector accumulated a significant volume of pellets in storage for two seasons. The higher consumption recorded this winter has finally helped to normalize stock levels.
Most plants (42 of 65, the 65 %) produce under certification ENplus®, lo que garantiza la calidad y trazabilidad del pellet español. Estas fábricas son, además, las de mayor capacidad productiva, por lo que concentran alrededor del 85 % of national production, placing Spain among the European countries with the highest volume of certified pellets.
En cuanto a sostenibilidad, una planta de pellet dispone de certificación SURE, un esquema que se aplica principalmente a biocombustibles destinados a redes de calor o proyectos industriales sujetos a los criterios de la Directiva RED III.
“Spanish pellets maintain competitive prices and high quality standards thanks to the ENplus® system. They are the benchmark fuel for domestic users and numerous local heating networks.”, Rodero points out.
The chip reinforces its commitment to sustainability
The 2025 inventory identifies 64 active chip producers in Spain, los mismos que en el año anterior. El número de plantas que certifican su sostenibilidad con el esquema SURE se mantiene en 30, lo que confirma la confianza de los principales operadores del sector en España en este sello, especialmente los que suministran a redes de calor públicas e instalaciones industriales que deben acreditar el origen sostenible de la biomasa conforme a la Directiva Europea RED III y para cumplir con los requisitos de la Directiva ETS sobre reducción de emisiones verificables
According to the capabilities declared by the manufacturers, the The potential for national production of wood chips is around one and a half million tons per year. Medium and large plants are mainly distributed throughout Castile and León, Catalonia, Andalusia and the north of the peninsula.
The sector is currently working around the 60-70 % of that capacity, This guarantees supply availability to meet the needs of new expanding thermal projects.
“Spanish wood chips are now among the most sustainable in Europe: almost half of the producers are SURE certified and their market has become more professional without losing competitiveness.”, highlights Pablo Rodero.
The growth in demand for heating networks and industrial applications, along with the price stability observed in 2024 and 2025, consolidates the wood chip as the most efficient and sustainable solid biofuel for large thermal installations, and a fundamental pillar of Spanish bioenergy.
Olive pit: stability and circular bioeconomy
The 2025 inventory maintains 30 active olive pit producers in Spain, principalmente en Andalucía, Castilla-La Mancha y Extremadura, donde la industria oleícola genera un flujo constante de subproductos valorizables.
The number of plants with BIOmasud® certification se mantiene en siete, mientras que five They also have the seal SURE, que acredita la sostenibilidad del biocombustible conforme a la Directiva Europea RED III.
El sector del hueso está estrechamente ligado a la actividad agrícola y agroindustrial, lo que le confiere un fuerte componente local y circular. Cada campaña, numerosas almazaras y cooperativas valorizan el hueso generado en el proceso de molturación, destinándolo a usos térmicos tanto propios como en entornos próximos.
“The olive pit is a perfect example of a circular economy: it transforms an agricultural waste product into a clean, affordable, and locally sourced energy source,”, emphasizes Rodero.
Con su alto poder energético, su baja huella ambiental y su plena integración en la cadena agroindustrial, el hueso de aceituna mantiene un papel esencial dentro del mix de biocombustibles sólidos españoles, aportando sostenibilidad y autonomía energética local en los territorios rurales.