Germany’s waste wood market finds itself balanced at a low level amid limited arisings and subdued demand. One processor reported that intake volumes were 30 per cent lower than was normal at this time of year, although others described this figure as "a little too high". However, contrary to expectations, the market was still experiencing abundant or, in some cases, very abundant supply, since many biomass power plants were offline for scheduled and unscheduled overhauls, market players said.
Among other reasons, these temporary shutdowns were also considered to be likely due to older power plant being operated at full load, sometimes using "borderline fuel”, at the time when revenues from electricity sales were high. Market players unanimously confirmed that waste wood inventories were "surprisingly high”. This has led to an early - and at times unplanned - start to the building up of stocks for the next winter, even though "it’s actually still too early for it".
Read the full quarterly report on the waste wood market in Germany and access price tables and graphing tools here:
