At the end of 2021, our partner Greenalia announced that it had successfully completed the audit process to obtain certification. SURE, which guarantees the sustainability of the forest biomass that the company uses in its power plant in Curtis-Teixeito, A Coruña.
With an installed capacity of 50 MW, the plant consumes up to half a million tons per year of residual biomass generated during the forestry use of the mountains in the Galician community and which, by law, must be managed and treated.
Thanks to the voluntary SURE certification, the company is ahead of the mandatory compliance with the sustainability requirements set by the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (REDII).
The European REDII directive establishes the criteria that all biomass used in the bioenergy sector must meet to ensure its sustainability, a correct mass balance, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency.
The Curtis-Teixeiro nuclear power plant helps maintain the good health of Galicia's forests and prevent forest fires. Its operations have created 200 jobs in the rural area surrounding the facility.
Galicia, a forestry powerhouse
Galicia is the ninth largest forestry region in Europe, with an annual harvest of 10 million tons of timber that generates more than 2 million tons of forest byproducts. The new Galician Forestry Plan aims to increase the volume of annual harvests to 12 million tons by 2040, which will generate almost 4 million tons of residual biomass.
About the SURE system
SURE, of which AVEBIOM is a national support organization in Spain, It is a voluntary biomass sustainability certification system developed by REDcert (a German company with experience in biofuel sustainability certification) and Bioenergy Europe (the European bioenergy association, with extensive knowledge of the biomass market and in managing certifications).
SURE offers a practical solution to all agents operating within the bioenergy sector who need to comply with the requirements imposed by the new European Renewable Energy Directive (EU 2018/2001 REDII).
The SURE system has been designed to certify any operator in the bioenergy sector in Europe: producers of agricultural and forestry biomass, producers of biofuels from by-products and waste, pellet manufacturers, logistics operators, biofuel marketers or biomass and biogas power plants.
To date, 155 SURE certificates have been issued, 14 of which are in Spain, belonging to facilities of ENCE, ENSO, Ecowarm and, now, Greenalia.
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