Connecting Healthy Forests, Green Energy and Civil Protection under the SDGs

Reduce the GHG emissions and the ecological footprint of public facilities
- Conversion of diesel heating systems to biomass boilers on public facilities (district heating system). (SDG 7 & 13)
Ensure active and sustainable forest management to promote healthy forests
- Promote biomass production at local/national level without threatening forest services. (SDG 15)
- Establish circular economy channels to revalorize the national wood market. (SDG 9 & 11)

A Biomass boiler which heats the Ordino’s sport resort (swimming pool, gym) and tourism office has been running since 2013
In 2018 a national law of the promotion of Energy Transition and Climate Change (Litecc) was passed
During 2018-2019 a national study was carried out looking at the potential for forest biomass production along with a local study on the feasibility of Ordino’s district heating system
Plans for a Consortium for a multi administrative biomass generation centre (national biomass manufacturing) in 2020

Social impact of the smoke plume from the Biomass boiler. Need of communication and awareness raising campaigns for locals
Control the price and quality of wood chips – The planned biomass centre will increase the production and control the conditions.
Increasing the efficiency and performance of discharging from truck to boiler depot. Change from a suction system to gravitational one. *cost (145€ to 100€/Tn)
Need to revalorize other wood goods and products to assume the high costs of forest exploitation (mainly due to slopes and lack of forest roads) – Creating a national wood market (e.g. structural and construction uses), under a sustainable international certification (PEFC / FSC).

CO2 and other contaminant gases emission (SO2) have decreased considerably running with biomass.
The public budget savings due to biomass use, shows positive trends (average 43K € /year)
Current biomass price (half of the demand is exported from Spain) does not permit to expand the district heating to other public facilities. To enable this there is a need for a national biomass production increase.
Use of local resources, instead of exploiting it, is a common sense idea and has benefits at multiple levels (social, environmental and economic).
Changes need time to be supported by the public and in the political arena.
Introducing forest ecosystemic services and goods into the classic economy models could help to visualise important indirect values.

Organisation:Actua Tech Foundation – Innovation Hub Andorra Projects

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