Welsh woodchip company wins contract to heat Assembly

Monmouthshire-based Path-finder Renewable Energy has supplied woodchip to the market since 2008 and is the first company in Wales to be accredited under the Woodsure scheme, backed by the Forestry Commission.

The scheme proved instrumental in securing supply to one of Wales’ most iconic buildings as it guarantees users high quality fuel to optimise boiler performance. It also ensures the fuel is responsibly sourced from legal and sustainably managed woodland in Wales.

The 360kw Binder boiler was installed in the Senedd in 2006 as part of the brief to construct a sustainable building that adopted renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy consumption resulting in a lower carbon footprint.

This forms part of the National Assembly for Wales’ commitment to reducing its carbon emissions by 40% by 2015. Since the boiler was installed, the building’s emissions have reduced by 19%.

Pathfinder will supply the woodchip for the Senedd biomass system which will heat the whole building. The proven technologies of biomass systems mean that they are one of the most reliable forms of renewable energy and offer a cleaner, home grown sustainable alternative to expensive, imported fossil fuels.

Unlike wind or solar power, biomass energy is available on demand 24 hours a day at the flick of a switch.

Mike Read, managing director of Pathfinder Renewable Energy, said: “Biomass fuels will be key if Wales is to be anywhere near achieving its 2020 renewable energy targets, so it is a positive message that the National Assembly for Wales is using wood fuel in one its most important buildings.

“Wales has challenges ahead in reaching its renewable energy targets and is behind the UK in its use of biomass energy, but I hope the new Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payment will help convince businesses that using biomass from locally grown trees is an affordable and efficient way to heat commercial and industrial buildings.”

Peter Black AM, the National Assembly’s commissioner with responsibility for sustainability, said: “The National Assembly for Wales is committed to reducing energy emissions by 40% by 2015, and the most recent figures reveal we have achieved a 19% reduction in emissions compared to 2008/09 levels.”

Other large public buildings in Wales heated with biomass systems include the Office of National Statistics in Newport and the New Rhondda Hospital in Llwynypia.