Everything you need to know about wood energy

As a mature renewable energy source, it stands out as the 1st EnR (renewable energy) in France. In 2021, the wood energy sector represented 35.1% of renewable primary energy consumption. Since then, this figure has never fallen below 30%. A sustainable solution adapted to the heating needs of buildings, as well as industrial processes. Let's take stock with you!

💡 Did you know?

”Primary energy is the set of unprocessed energy products, exploited directly or imported. These are mainly crude oil, oil shale, natural gas, solid mineral fuels, biomass, solar radiation, hydraulic energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and energy from uranium fission.”

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➰ Let's close the loop!

Did you know that the 4th edition of the wood-energy day took place in Paris on June 4, 2025? This is an opportunity for stakeholders in the sector to come together to discuss biomass looping, which aims to guarantee a fair and sustainable distribution of energy flows. biomass available for food, energy, industrial, and ecological uses.

📣 So, what was said during this meeting?

• To begin with, industry stakeholders warned about "wood energy bashing," a discourse that threatens this sector of activity, the functioning of which many are still unaware. To support their remarks, they recalled the fundamentals of the sector, namely the recovery of wood residues and waste, but also its essential role in achieving sustainable energy independence. In short, they emphasized the importance of sustainable resource management, essential for making wood energy a pillar of the ecological transition.
• Then, the issue of biomass looping and the energy transition of territories occupied an important place in the debates. The participants recalled that even though wood energy was the leading source of renewable energy in France, it was the target of a blatant lack of consideration. This is why the five organizers asked the Government to "take into account and reconsider the place of wood energy in France's energy strategy." In short, they want to obtain "affirmed, clear, and stable" support from the Government.
• Finally, the experts present at this event returned to the economic weight of the sector, which represents 52,800 direct and indirect jobs, and probably 25,000 more by 2030. These figures demonstrate the dynamism of the wood energy subsidiary, which, in addition to being a sustainable solution, is a real lever for employment and dynamism.

🪵 Wood energy under pressure in Brittany

Between 2007 and 2022, wood consumption for energy use increased by nearly 60% in Brittany, notably via the Brittany Wood Energy Plan.

💡 Did you know?

The Brittany Wood Energy Plan is a support program managed and financed by the Brittany Region, ADEME (Ecological Transition Agency) and the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine. In favor of wood energy, it is intended for wood-fired heating projects with or without a heat network, for collective use or for the needs of tertiary, industrial, agricultural or craft activities.

This increase in demand particularly calls into question the availability of the resource, which is also affected by climate change. The latter has significant repercussions on the health of trees: health problems, risks of drought, mortality of certain species, failure of plantations... According to a study carried out by the OBE (Observatoire du bois-énergie) in Brittany, forest conifers are eroding and the bocage is under heavy pressure. Thus, to best preserve the forest, several levers of action have been put in place, such as the sustainable and reasoned exploitation of hardwoods, the optimization of the management of private forest plots, as well as the planting of hedges and the maintenance of existing ones.

🔢 Key figures

• In 2022 wood-fired boilers and "domestic" wood totaled 32% of renewable primary energy production, with 1.5 million tonnes of wood transformed into heat and electricity.
• The wood used in Brittany for energy production comes mainly from the forest (42%) and the bocage (34%).
• Only 10% of the wood is imported, mainly from neighboring regions.

🔍 Did you know that wood energy represents such a large share of energy production in Brittany?

📍Things are happening in Occitanie!

Focus on the Regional Wood Energy Observatory

Did you know that the Regional Wood Energy Observatory in Occitanie's mission is to promote and develop the use of wood as an energy source in the region? Supported by the State, the Region, ADEME and the European Union, this organization is one of the pillars of the wood energy sector. It is responsible for collecting information and characteristics of all existing wood-energy installations in the Occitan region. It also monitors the region's wood-energy boilers.

Occitanie is the 2nd most forested French region. Its 2.7 million hectares of forest represent nearly 16% of France's forest. With an afforestation rate of 36%, it has, like other Mediterranean regions, a much higher afforestation rate than the national average (32%). Source

🔢 Key figures

• In total, in Occitanie, there are 1,308 boiler rooms with a total installed wood-fired capacity of 550,892 MW.
• Lozère is in 1st place in the ranking, with 257 boiler rooms with a total installed wood-fired capacity of 66,399 MW, while the Hautes-Pyrénées has 33 (15,160 MW).
• In total, in Occitanie, there are 119 wood-energy platforms. This represents a drying capacity of 117,499 T of wood chips under cover, 252,600 T of wood chip delivery, 114,120 T of pellet storage and 116,505 T of pellet delivery.
• The Pyrénées Orientales are in the lead with 19 wood-energy platforms, while the Gers has 3. Source

👀 To learn more about this topic…

📹 Maxime Arnal, financial analyst at Enerfip, explains everything you need to know about wood energy.

And you, what is your opinion on wood energy?