US energy production from biomass may be limited by supply: GAO

US energy production from biomass may be limited by supply: GAO

Washington (Platts)--28Apr2006

The US Government Accountability Office said Thursday that the use of
biomass for energy production is limited by supply shortages and other
factors.

In a report unveiled at a House Forests and Forest Health subcommittee
hearing, GAO said interviews with 13 users of biomass for energy
production suggest that the supply of forest-byproducts from public lands is
constrained despite the best efforts of land management agencies.

The Interior, Agriculture and Energy departments signed a memorandum of
understanding in 2003 to promote the use of biomass culled from forest
thinning and other activities for power generation and other uses. GAO
reported that two biomass power plants were running at 60% of their capacity
because they could not find enough fuel. Other users said they were turning to
private lands or alternative fuels, such as sawmill residue, because they
could not get enough biomass from Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
lands.

In other cases, said GAO, users complained they were spending millions
of dollars for biomass equipment, operation and maintenance costs. USDA and
DOE officials testifying at the hearing responded to these concerns by
highlighting programs the Bush administration is undertaking to promote the
use of biomass. These includes USDA's proposed spending of $5 million for
forest thinning activities in fiscal 2007, and the department's awarding this
week of $4.2 million in "biomass utilization" grants.

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