LEADING NORFOLK RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY SETS UP BIOFUELS BUSINESS TO MEET GROWING DEMAND

The growing number of biomass energy plants in East Anglia has led leading Norfolk renewable energy Abel Energy to set up a new sister biofuels company to service the growing demand in the region for premium quality wood pellets and woodchip.

Abel Biofuels is sourcing virgin wood chip from local sawmills, before drying the fuel until it has an average moisture content of just 20 per cent.  So confident is the company about the quality of its fuels that it is selling them by the calorific value rather than by weight – the first time this method of sourcing biomass fuel has been available in Norfolk.

The company has also invested in a specialist wood pellet tanker, which has been modified to deliver pellets to clients without causing them to break up and create dust – locking in the maximum energy value.  The pressurised silo tanker provides pellet delivery with no mechanical contact, minimising the amount of break-up of fuel during transport and delivery.

“The huge increase in biomass installations has created a demand for biomass fuel,” said Chris Abel, managing director of Abel Energy.  “Because this is a new industry, many deliveries are made in converted feed lorries, which means the fuel is damaged and does not deliver its true energy potential.

“All biomass boilers work best with undamaged, dried out biomass fuel, and that is what we are now delivering to clients throughout East Anglia.  We test the moisture content of each wood chip delivery, allowing us to sell the fuel based on the calorific value rather than just weight.  This ensures that clients extract the maximum energy from the fuel, increasing the output of the biomass boiler.  It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

Abel Biofuels is also working in partnership with Wymondham-based specialist biomass transport company to provide a bespoke delivery service.  The two firms are using a specially constructed woodchip trailer with a ‘walking floor’, which allows for rapid loading and unloading of woodchips without breaking them up, as well as a 14 tonne pressurised silo tanker to deliver wood pellets.