PETRIKOV DISTRICT, 24 May (BelTA) - Production of wood pellets and a wider use of local fuels is a promising area for Belarus, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during his visit to the pellet production facility in Lyaskovichi, Petrikov District on 24 May, BelTA has learned.
“All this [wood] waste should be recycled. We will give a sharper focus on the introduction of such boilers. It will be a priority. Where can we use this waste after all? We need to recycle it into pellets. This is our promising area,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. “This is our treasure trove. We walk on it, trample it with our feet. We pile it up. It should be processed and put into use. It is our prospect.”
The head of state said that several years ago he set the task to organize the production of pellets in Belarus. The initial plans were to export these products to the European Union.
“What are pellets? It is granulated sawmill waste. We take all dead wood, windfall in forests, grind it, make pellets and give them to be used in boilers. We have produced boilers that work well on pellets. Yet, we use gas and petroleum products. We need to use our own fuels. This is waste. It should be recycled and used for heating wherever possible,” the president stressed.
“Yes, the sanctions have affected us. Europe used to buy at certain prices, but now it has shot itself in the foot and decided not to buy it. Today it has huge prices on electricity, on gas and so on. They will come to their senses sooner or later. They will come back to us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He emphasized that Belarusians should have been immediately oriented to the use of pellets. However, given the availability of natural gas and petroleum products, the use of biofuels for heating is not a priority.
“We need to develop this for the future. Because our children may not have cheap gas,” said the head of state.
Forestry Minister Aleksandr Kulik told the head of state that 64 pellet production facilities with a total capacity of about 900,000 tonnes per year have been set up in Belarus.
The president emphasized that pellet sales should be profitable. “You get to profit through other areas. It is necessary that all areas should be profitable. This is your number one task, and you should not feel complacent,” the Belarusian leader said. “You should see the situation from all the sides. You see where everything is going. Sanctions will not be here forever. I hope Europe will come to its senses and will finally look at what is beneficial for it in the first place. Yet we have to work hard now.”
Pellets are available for households at a favorable price. People need to have a fuel book for that. In this case, a tonne of pellets will cost Br50. The heating season will require the use of about 3,600 tonnes, which will cost Br180. The state will also compensate part of the cost (40%, but not more than 120 basic units) of the boiler for a household.
It is expected that more than 70,000 tonnes of pellets will be consumed on the domestic market this year. This is about 8% of the total production capacity. “This is not enough. We need to think about how we can accelerate here. We need to take a comprehensive look at the matter,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
At the enterprise the head of state got familiar with the progress made in the modernization of the sawmill and the use of pellets in practice. He was shown samples of domestic pellet-fueled boiler equipment. Moreover, the president was demonstrated samples of finished woodworking products.
In Lyaskovichi, Aleksandr Lukashenko inspected a boiler house that runs on pellets. In summer it needs to be loaded with this wood fuel only once a month, and about once a week in winter. The head of state praised the equipment. “This is a miracle for us, which is lying under our feet. And we are making a miracle out of this waste,” he said.
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