Finland: wood pellet production up in 2017

Wood pellet production in Finland in 2017,  produced a total of 324,000 tonnes of wood pellets. That is one fifth more than in the previous year and the third highest result in history. The production volume was highest in 2008 at 373,000 tonnes, reports Natural Resource Institute Finland (Luke).

A new record was reached in the Finnish imports of wood pellets. In 2017, a total of 87,000 tonnes of wood pellets were imported to Finland, being 74% more than in the previous year. Exports of wood pellets, 37,000 tonnes, increased by 8% over the year before. The apparent consumption (production + imports – exports) of wood pellets in Finland amounted to 373,000 tonnes.

Deliveries by pellet producers based on domestic pellet production grew by 15% compared to the previous year, amounting to 349,000 tonnes, which is the highest volume ever. The amount of wood pellets delivered to power and heating plants and large buildings increased by 18% to 288,000 tonnes. The amount of wood pellets delivered to small-scale housing and farms increased by 6% to 62,000 tonnes.