Plantations for Bioenergy

1
Plantations for Bioenergy Sustainability Issues
for Bioenergy Development Sydney, Feb 21st 2002
BioEnergy Australia Ltd GPO Box 2526
PERTH www.bioenergyaustralia.com.au
2
Policy Initiatives

• November 1997 Prime Ministers Statement
• December 2000 Senate debate on Renewable Energy
  Act
• April 1st 2001 Renewable Energy Act and
  Regulations enacted
• Act limits use of wood to wood waste
• Act introduces bizarre set of rules
• Australia precludes short rotation woody
  perennial crops for bioenergy totally against
  world trends

3
Response to Policy

• Green Power
• Runs in parallel with mandated schemes
• Of 31 biomass projects only 1 uses waste from
  plantations and sawmills (Visy)
• Renewable Energy Act
• Mandates additional renewable energy
• Wood waste and energy crops eligible sources of
  renewable energy

4
Key Features of Act

• Regulation 7 resource must be ecologically
  sustainable
• Regulation 8 - eligibility criteria for wood
  waste
• Biomass from non-native weed species
• Manufactured wood product
• Building or furniture manufacture waste
• Sawmill residue
• Wood waste from harvesting (inc. thinnings)
• Regulation 9 energy crop
• Agricultural or horticultural crop
• Plants with woody stems excluded (ORER
  interpretation)

5
Specific Issues for Plantations

• Harvesting approval required under all relevant
  Commonwealth, State planning and approval process
  
• No higher value than biomass for energy
  production at the time of harvesting
• Managed in accordance with codes of practice
  approved by Commonwealth
• Established on land cleared before 1989.

6
Activities

• Mallee Eucalypts in WA
• Narrogin Project (Western Power)
• 6000 ha
• Wide belts of trees in cropland
• Charcoal, Oil and bioenergy
• Demonstration Plant (Enecon) 7.5 GW/a from 1 MW
  turbine
• Esperance Project
• Proposed 5 MW biomass plant based on mallee
• Metasource likely to re-tender

7
Activities

• Short Rotation Woody Crops
• BioEnergy Australia Ltd
• Mixed species plantations (high value timber
  trees inter-cropped with Casuarina)
• Multiple products from thinning (charcoal, MDF
  furnish, biofuel)
• Commence commercial planting in 2002

8
Activities

• Forest and Sawmill Residues
• Auspine - Tarpeena
• 60 MW plant planned
• Sources material from thinnings, harvesting
  residues and sawmill residue
• Visy - Tumut
• 19 MW plant operational late 2001
• Wide variety of fuel incl. municipal waste,
  sawdust, bark etc.

9
Activities

• Wood fibre to supplement bagasse
• Bagasse a by-product of sugar manufacture
• Not available throughout the year
• Need supplement out of season
• Agricultural energy crops OK (provided no lignin)
• Woody crops only OK if can use waste from other
  processes (not always practical)

10
Activities

• Wastewater plantations
• Extensive research (NSW, Vic, SA)
• Some large operational plantations (eg Albury,
  Albany)
• High potential for wastewater treatment
• Not eligible for renewable energy unless waste
  from another product
• Dryland Salinity Plantings
• Massive salinity problem
• Environmental groups will not support change to
  legislation that would allow woody energy crops

11
Sustainability

• Regulation 7 clearly demands ecological
  sustainability
• Projects required to comply with all relevant
  Commonwealth and State legislation to be eligible
  
• Additional requirements under ORER
• Sustainability requirements for agriculture and
  plantations very different
• ?? Yet more sustainability requirements??

12
Conclusion

• MRET has stimulated investment in renewable
  energy
• Short rotation energy crops precluded (woody
  only)
• Higher value at harvest test crippling
• Economically viable solutions to solve
  environmental problems like dryland salinity
  precluded
• Australia totally out of step with European and
  North American countries where energy crops
  (woody) are part of national strategy to reduce
  reliance on fossil fuels
• To be smart, Australia needs to recognise
  intrinsic value of bioenergy and modify
  regulatory framework

13
Plantations for Bioenergy Sustainability Issues
for Bioenergy Development Sydney, Feb 21st 2002
BioEnergy Australia Ltd GPO Box 2526
PERTH www.bioenergyaustralia.com.au