Presentation at the meeting of the Russian-Dutch Platform for bioenergy
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My name is Elena Dedova, I am attaché of the Economic section of the Russian Embassy. It is a pleasure
for me to be here today.
The «bioenergy issue» started to gain visibility for the Embassy in 2010, when our contacts with Dutch
counterparts both in governmental structures and businesses showed interest and potential for cooperation with the
Russian side in the areas of bioenergy. We communicated that to the relevant Russia’s regions, associations and
companies, and received quite a number of reactions, which gave us a picture of our country’s potential as regards to
different aspects of bioenergy. Their interest lied basically in the field of supplying biomass, including wood pellets
and briquettes, and biofuels to the Netherlands, in implementing on Russia’s territory state-of-art biotechnologies
available in the Netherlands, in setting up joint production and establishing collaboration and education, S&T and
R&D.
The Embassy forwarded the received information to the relevant Dutch ministries and organizations, and
now I have an opportunity to share it with you as well.
A large number of regions are interested in joint production and supplying solid biomass to Dutch market.
One of such regions is Leningrad Oblast with its major producers Vyborg Cellulose (producing about
1 million tons of pellets per year), Energoresurs (100 000 tons of briquettes per year) and North-West Holding
(50 000 tons of pellets per year).
Two pellet plants will soon be operational in the Arkhangelsk region (70 000 and 186 000 tons of pellets per
year). A pellet plant on a basis of a saw-woodworking plant was planned to be built in the region (500 000 tons of
pellets per year).
Three large pellet plants were planned to be operational this year in the Pskov region – “Holding “Russkije
lesnie pellety” (140 000 tons of pellets per year), “Plussa Timber” (62 000 tons of pellets per year) and “Pskovskiy
lesnoi terminal”(3 900 tons of pellets per year, 49 000 cubic meters of board per year, 7 900 cubic meters chipped
wood per year). In addition to that, the region has a number of industrial estates on its territory (“Stupnikovo” and
“Moglino”), areas on which can be leased by the Development agency of Pskov Region.
I would also like to mention that the Pskov region is also interested in cooperation with Dutch companies in
the field of innovative technologies.
9 industrial-grade pellet plants are currently operational in Vologda Oblast, making up the total pellet output
of the region of 310 000 tons per year, which is envisaged to increase to 500 000 tons per year by 2020. One of the
major producers is Vologdabioexport. Pellets are certified (DINplus, DIN 51731, O-Norm M 7135, SS 187120, etc.),
and higher standards certification is possible.
One of the large producers in the Bryansk region is “DOTS plus”, which produced 10 000 tons of pellets in
2010 and has the capacity of producing 30 000 tons of pellets per year. The Administration of Bryansk region noted
that there are tax privileges and soft lending for business units, which are implementing investment projects in the
region.
Karelia has several companies on its territory with the total output of over 47 000 tons per year (volumes
produced in 2010 are over 25 000 tons), and of fuel briquettes with the total output of 12 000 tons per year (volumes
produced in 2010 are over 8 000 tons). A number of wood pellet plants will shortly be put into operation, including by
Solomenskiy Sawmill (50 000 tons per year), Zapkarelles (50 000 tons per year), Kostomukshskaya Construction
company (12.8 000 tons per year), UBor (25 000 tons per year).
A number of wood pellet production facilities are being run in Udmurtia and neighboring regions. Plans exist
to establish a holding that would assemble pellets, do certification and deliver pellets to the Dutch market.
Now to the companies:
Russian Wood Pellets Holding is starting a number of production lines, including facilities in Smolensk
Oblast and Pskov Oblast. Initial production volumes was 280 000 tons in 2011, which will significantly increase later
(over 2.5 million tons in 2017). Pellets will be certified with EN-B, ENA2-plus, ENplus-A1.
Vladimirskiy Industrial Complex (located in Smolensk Oblast) is active in non-waste recycling of timber,
production of synthetic biodiesel (32 mln tons per year, euro 5 and 6 standards) and wood pellets (22 000 tons). The
company is interested in supplying not only pellets, but also synthetic biodiesel to the Dutch markets. This project has
been started; planned productivity will be reached in 2015.
Yug Rusi is interested in commencing a dialogue with Dutch companies on supplying biocharcoal pellets
(produced by torrefaction) to the Netherlands. It would also be interested in acquiring or constructing in the
Netherlands a 50 MW+ power plant firing imported deeply processed biomass (biocharcoal pellets and/or pyrolized
oil/bio-oil).
Koltsovo Innovation Center, a large science and production biotech cluster based in Novosibirsk Oblast, is
interested in finding a Dutch partner for joint manufacturing of hemp pellets, which have a number of advantages over
wood pellets.
Ulianovsk TechnoPark and “OTEC Group” are also interested in starting joint innovative productions and in
supplying solid biomass to Dutch market.
As regards to Biofuels/Biomaterials and Biogas:
Vladimir Oblast is interested in promoting international cooperation in the field of biomaterials.
Yug
Rusi
(Rostov-on-Don)
is
interested
in
technologies
for
fermentative
(enzyme)
conversion/saccharification of lignocellulose and technologies of biopolymeric materials production. This company
could supply vegetable oils and possibly starch as raw materials for the production of biopolymers and other
biomaterials, and to start a joint production of biomaterials in Russia with the use of Dutch technologies. This
company is also interested in supplying pyrolized oil obtained from biomass by rapid pyrolysis.
Koltsovo Innovation Center, a large science and production biotech cluster based in Novosibirsk Oblast, is
interested in finding a Dutch partner for joint manufacturing of biofuels from algae, using an innovative vortical water
reactor. This state-of-the art technology helps significantly increase productivity and energy efficiency – two to threefold, and exclude damaging the grown algae.
Committee for Forestry and Wood Industry of Novgorod Oblast is interested in joint biomaterials production
with Dutch partners.
Science and Technological Center Khiminvest (located in Nizhniy Novgorod) is willing to set up a joint
venture with a Dutch counterpart for the deep processing of wood biomass (such as conifer needles and birch bark)
to produce betuline and L-arginine.
Murmansk Oblast has interest in establishing joint solid domestic waste-to-energy and livestock waste-toenergy production with end product being used on the domestic market, as well as in R&D and educational
cooperation in this field.
Regarding the S&T cooperation:
Karelian Science Center Institute of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is interested in developing
S&T cooperation with the Netherlands in the field of exploration of peat fields.
Kirov Oblast informed the Embassy that Vyatskiy State University for the Humanities is willing to cooperate
with Dutch educational and research institutes and with Dutch companies in education in a number of research fields
such as processing of biomass, bioenergy and biomaterials, certification. Viatskiy State Agricultural Academy is
prepared to cooperate with Dutch partners on biomass crop productivity, biogas and biofuels.
Should you wish to set contacts with any of the abovementioned regions or organizations, please feel free to
contact me or any of my colleagues from the economic section of the Embassy – we will be happy to assist you in
doing so.
Since 2010 a number of steps have been undertaken both by Russian and Dutch sides in order to give an
impetus to Russian-Dutch cooperation in that field.
A seminar on bioenergy was held in Moscow on October 20, 2011 on the margins of the official visit of Prime
Minister of the Netherlands Mr. M.Rutte to Russia, - but, unfortunately, the Dutch side was a bit underrepresented
there. On the other hand, the seminar which was held in Utrecht in April this year was attended by over 40
representatives of the relevant Dutch ministries and agencies, businesses and universities, among which those of the
Ministry of Economy, Gasunie, DSM, Royal Haskoning, Rabobank, Wageningen University and the Port of
Rotterdam. Cooperation in the field of bioenergy was discussed during the recent meetings with the representatives
of the Province of Groningen, the Groninger Port and Royal Haskoning. The interest of the Dutch side for cooperation
remains, as well as that of the Russian side.
Needless to say, Russia and the Netherlands are natural partners in the field of bioenergy, biomass and
biotechnologies. From the transport and logistics, as well as from the financial and resource point of view, Russia
could be a much more attractive partner for the Netherlands than the other remote countries from where most of the
imported solid biomass currently arrives to the Netherlands.
In our opinion, in order to realize the many opportunities available in this field and to establish a long-term
partnership between Russia and the Netherlands, it would be vital to organize a large-scale business mission
consisting of Russian biomass producers, representatives of the regions, as well as transport and logistics
companies, including ports that are already involved or could be involved in the supply chain of Russian biomass in
the Netherlands. In our view, such a mission would give us a possibility to inform the Dutch side about our existing
capabilities, to establish direct contacts between the key stakeholders (ministries, agencies, associations,
organizations, companies, educational and research institutions) with a view to facilitating cooperation between them
and implementing joint projects.
Moreover, the delegates of the mission could share information on such issues as production and logistics
capabilities, product certification, the conditions for co-production of biomaterials in regions and markets.
Thank you for your attention.