Industrial wood pellet price assessments

Platts, a leading global energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture
information provider, today expanded its electric power offerings to
include a weekly spot price assessment for Europe-delivered industrial
wood pellets, which are used alone or in combination with coal to fuel
power plants, and a suite of UK wood pellet profitability spreads at
different fuel efficiencies.

Mr Ben Legg, Platts commercial
director for European power and gas, said that “Increasingly, the
European power industry is using organic plant matter, known as biomass,
as a source of renewable energy, and our new price assessments are
aimed at bringing greater transparency to this growing market.”

The
new price assessment – Platts CIF NW Europe Industrial Wood Pellet –
reflects the physical spot market value as delivered to northwest Europe
of industrial grade 2 wood pellet supplies with a net calorific value
of 17 gigajoules per metric tonne (GJ/mt) and typical sulfur and ash
contents of 0.1% and 1%, respectively. The assessment is quoted in US
dollars per metric ton for delivery 7 to 45 days forward from the date
of publication.

Complementing the weekly spot price assessment is
a suite of weekly Platts UK wood pellet profitability spreads, which
reflect the theoretical profit margins from burning wood pellets to
generate electricity at carbon-sensitive fuel efficiencies of 30%, 35%
and 40%.

Mr Gareth Carpenter, Platts managing editor of coal,
said that “Europe’s annual demand for industrial wood pellets is
approximately 12 million tons, and we see this increasing as power
plants work to meet mandated lower carbon emissions standards.”

Mr
Gareth said that “Keep an eye on the US, as increasingly the UK and
Europe are looking to the Americas as a key source of wood pellets
supply.”

The Platts CIF NW Europe Industrial Wood Pellet weekly
price assessment is underpinned by Platts’ time-tested, robust
methodolog y and published each Friday after the close of the physical
markets.

Platts’ wood pellet assessments and biomass market
information may be found in its publications Coal Trader International,
European Power Daily and Power in Europe. Platts’ biomass coverage also
includes conferences, such as the 2014 Platts European Power Summit and
Biomass Power Generation conferences held since 2012.