Biomass Feedstock
Biomass Feedstock
High-yield clones of eucalyptus and acacia are propagated in REpow’s regional nurseries or through cooperative nurseries operated by community enterprises.
Seedlings are raised for 60–90 days under mist irrigation until they reach 25–30 cm in height.
Quality control ensures disease-free and uniform planting stock.
Land is ripped, disked, and mounded to improve drainage and root penetration.
Planting density: 1 600–2 000 trees per rai (2 × 2 m or 2.5 × 2.5 m spacing) to optimize biomass yield per hectare.
Basal organic compost or digestate from REpow biogas plants is applied at planting to enhance soil fertility.
Weed control in the first 6 months using mulching or cover crops.
Fertilization: 2–3 times per year using organic compost (N :P : K ≈ 3:2:1).
Pest management: biological controls and pheromone traps—no persistent chemicals.
Monitoring: remote sensing and field inspections to ensure growth rates of 18–22 tons DM/rai/year (dry matter).
First rotation harvested after 36–42 months depending on species and site conditions.
Harvesting uses mechanized feller-bunchers or tractor-mounted grabbers, cutting stems at 5–10 cm above ground to enable coppice regrowth.
Subsequent rotations require no replanting—3–4 coppice cycles possible over 12 years, lowering replanting costs by 40–50 %.
Logs or billets are air-dried for 4–6 weeks to reach moisture < 25 %.
Collected at district aggregation yards, where they are chipped and loaded into 10-wheeled trucks (8–10 tons/load).
Maximum hauling distance to plant: ≤ 70 km to minimize logistics cost and emissions.
GPS logistics tracking ensures traceability and scheduling efficiency.
Delivered wood is chipped, screened, and homogenized to particle size 10–30 mm.
Chips are dried (if needed) to < 15 % moisture using waste heat or solar drying floors.
Final feedstock is conveyed to fuel silos or day bins, ensuring 5–7 days of storage buffer.
Smallholders and cooperatives sign 5–10 year feedstock supply contracts with guaranteed floor prices.
REpoweri provides seedlings, technical support, and buy-back assurance.
Farmers receive additional income from biochar and compost returns, improving soil fertility and carbon sequestration.
Feedstock cost stability: 45–50 % of OPEX secured via long-term FSAs.
Environmental integrity: No conversion of forest land; plantations established on degraded or fallow lands.
Carbon benefits: 10 MWe plant avoids ≈ 80 000 tCO₂e/year and stores ≈ 50 000 tCO₂e in standing biomass.
Social impact: > 500 farm households engaged in contracted farming, with > 1 000 jobs in planting, harvesting, and logistics.
Our energy-wood supply chains are fully integrated, traceable, and contractually secured, ensuring predictable fuel cost, stable operations, and long-term sustainability. Energy wood feedstock system forms a self-reinforcing circular model—farming, energy, and soil health—delivering measurable climate impact and social co-benefits that investors can trust.