Wood chip giant Statkraft gains SBP certification

Statkraft, a European-based renewable energy giant, has said it has become the first international wood chip producer and supplier and trader to be certified under the Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certification scheme.

"Statkraft fully subscribes to the SBP vision to provide economically, environmentally and socially sustainable wood fuel that contributes to a low carbon economy," said Christopher Moore, head of Biomass Trading and Origination.

He added: "Therefore we are proud to be certified as a sustainable producer and trader of biomass and delighted to complement our position as a trusted partner with environmental and ethical principles at its centre. We can now prove that we fulfil all legal, regulatory and sustainable requirements along the value chain from harvesting, transport, processing, storage and shipping."

Use of biomass in renewable energy generation is not only moving in the direction of wood fibre from sustainable forest management such as FSC and PEFC certified material, but also with respect to the sourcing of low greenhouse gas intensity fuels. This is a consequence of national incentives or industry agreements to achieve emissions reduction targets.

Statkraft's achievement of SBP certification and the geographical location of its first biomass hub in Tofte, Southern Norway, enables Statkraft to provide SBP certified sustainable wood chip of low greenhouse gas intensity to installations throughout Europe, the company said in a statement.

In order to receive the Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certification Statkraft needed to track and record its sustainability data from the place of harvest of the round wood right to the delivery to the customer. Auditing Statkraft’s London office and Statkraft’s biomass site in Tofte, Norway took place over the summer and the final accreditation achieved on 14th October 2016.

Statkraft is also Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and EnPlus certified since 2013.