New Russian plant to export pellets to Europe

Russia-based GS Group has announced it will build a new wood pellet plant. To be located in Pskov, the production facility will have an annual capacity of 90,000 tonnes when it comes online towards the end of this year.

The investment necessary to bring the project to realisation is currently being reviewed.

The new plant is the third phase of a large-scale investment project by GS, set to last between 2012 and 2016. The total investment is RUB3.18 billion rubles (€66.8 million). In 2012 the company began timber logging on a 70 hectare lot and opened a forest nursery with the capacity of 2 million seedlings a year. Last year it commenced construction of a wood processing factory, production capacity of which is set at 61,500m³ of timber per year. This plant will be put into operation at the end of 2014.

Waste products from this operation, in addition to waste from timber logging activities, will be used as feedstock for the new pellet plant. GS says it plans to export all of the pellets to Europe where, unlike in Russia, they are widely used. European pellet market is growing.