Baltpool has started selling SBP-certified sustainable biomass that are in high demand in the market
With the growing demand for sustainable biomass in Europe, the international biomass exchange Baltpool is expanding its range of products having sustainability certificates. From now on, exchange participants can trade in biomass that meet the requirements of sustainability and have a SBP (Sustainable Biomass Program) certificate, which is especially relevant for Scandinavian and Baltic companies.
Large wood chip processing facility at a paper mill factory.
The SBP certificate, which proves the sustainability of biomass, is well-known and recognized worldwide, and it is also widely used in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, where biomass have very high sustainability requirements.
In order to meet the expectations of our customers to the maximum, we have provided the opportunity to trade in biomass products having the SBP sustainability certificate on the biomass exchange. This certificate is increasingly required by biomass buyers from Scandinavia that purchase up to 50% of biomass in the Baltic States. Therefore, this solution is beneficial for both Scandinavian biomass buyers and Baltic sellers, notes Andrius Smaliukas, Director of the International Biomass Exchange Baltpool.
The SBP certificate, issued by an accredited body, confirms that biomass is obtained from legal, sustainable sources and that the biomass production plant complies with the established requirements. The SBP certificates are most commonly issued for wood pellet and particle board products used in industry and large power plants. Currently, 371 such certificates have been issued in 31 countries.
A key aim for SBP is to facilitate the trade of biomass, whether in the form of pellets or chips, across international markets. The option to trade biomass carrying an SBP claim on the Baltpool exchange opens up another route to market for our Certificate Holders, which over time we trust will be of benefit to them, says Carsten Huljus, the CEO of SBP.
In addition to biomass with the SBP biomass sustainability certificate, Balpool Biomass Exchange also sells biomass products having FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and ENplus certificates.
This year, Baltpool has announced more news. The biomass exchange basket was supplemented by a new product, i.e. used wood. In March, Baltpool started selling biomass in the ports of the Baltic and Scandinavian countries and Poland. This has created favourable conditions for biomass producers and sellers to increase the volume and geography of their products in international markets, and buyers from the Scandinavian countries have even more opportunities to purchase sustainable biomass from the Baltic Sea region.
The following is sold on the biomass trading platform: wood chips, wood pellets, used wood, fuel peat, lignin. During 2020, 5.5 TWh of biomass was sold on the exchange and 5,629 transactions were concluded, the total amount of which amounted to EUR 54.9 million. EUR.
About Baltpool
International Biomass Exchange Baltpool is a unique electronic trading platform where standard auctions of standardized biomass products take place. In Lithuania, Baltpool also organizes wood and heat auctions and administers the funds of services of public interest. Baltpool currently operates in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Sweden and Finland. The company’s vision is to be the first option for biomass trade in Europe. Baltpool belongs to the Lithuanian state-owned energy company group EPSO-G. The biomass exchange is supervised and regulated by the National Energy Regulatory Council.
More information on www.baltpool.eu