Company Tigipko plans to grow up a power willow
Company Tigipko "ТАС" plans to cultivate a power willow (salix). Activity will be carried out through venture company SALIX energy. UAN3 million. was invested in the beginning of 2011, the full volume of investments is planned at level ?3 million.
Areas under crops are located in the Volynsk area. 130 hectares of special plant was sowed in Gorohovsky area during the current year, thus the first crop of it will be received in 2014. However the company plans to intensively expand areas under salix within declared strategy of development: SALIX energy expects to sow a power willow from 2 000 to 3 000 hectares to 2014-2015 in Ukraine. Аccording to market players, company will make around 40 000-50 000 tons of biofuel a year with such capacity. It is necessary to notice that the planned volume of output has almost the same calorie content as 20-23 million cubic meters of blue fuel has.
In more long-term prospect SALIX energy plans building of capacities to produce pellets, repair and re-equipment of existing thermal power station and shipment power willow chips on TPP, working on firm fuel.
According to the market experts, for today thіs project is unique as earlier nobody was engaged in cultivation of power plants in similar scales. So, according to market players, in 2010 biofuel production in Ukraine was 0,6 million tons. The most popular raw materials now is agricultural waste (corn, sunflower, straw est.), also wood waste is used as raw materials. There is no market of power plants in Ukraine, therefore it cannot influence Ukrainian bioenergy market in any way.
However experts noticed that power plants segment is very perspective for Ukrainian companies. First, energy crops have many advantages. In particular, salix has the highest crop capacity in comparison with other power plants, in combustion action СО2 level in atmosphere remains balanced (in cultivation absorption of carbonic gas by power willow is 200 tons per 1 hectare). Besides, in growth the soil is enriched with carbon twice as much in comparison with cultivation of grain crops, and the exhaustion of nutrients - in 3-5 times is less. Expulsion willow from crop rotation is also simple because superficial root system (processing of runaways by glyphosate in spring period with further disking).
Secondly the demand for biofuel constantly grows in Europe, and own production is not enough to satisfy demand, so European companies have to import biofuel. Аnnual import volume of it is 3 million tons now, but general consumption is 10 million tons per year. Five largest companies, producing the electric power and warmly, define further direction of the market. They totally need 3,5 million tons of biofuel per year.
