Greenalia obtains sure sustainability certification for its Curtis-Teixeiro biomass plant in Spain

• The company advances in its environmental commitment, strengthening sustainability throughout the value chain and anticipating compliance with new EU Regulations

Greenalia, renewable energy IPP, has successfully completed the audit process to obtain the SURE certification, which guarantees the sustainability of the forestry biomass supplied for consumption in the renewable energy facility that the company has in the town of Teixeiro-Curtis (A Coruña). This Plant consumes raw material sourced mainly from operations residue (branches and bark) generated by forestry companies through their operations in the Galician community.

With this step, carried out with certifier GFA Certification GmbH and the Galician engineering company Cerna, the company anticipates compliance with new sustainability requirements set by the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (REDII), European regulation that establishes various criteria that all biomasses used in the bioenergy sector must meet. All of which are focused on guaranteeing sustainability, correct mass balance, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy efficiency.

Galicia is the ninth largest forest potential in Europe. Annually, they cut almost 10 million tons of wood that generate more than 2 million tons of forest waste. In that sense, the new Forest Plan of Galicia aims to increase the volume of annual cuts to 12 million tons in 2040, which will generate almost 4 million tons of residual biomass.

The Curtis-Teixeiro biomass plant has an installed capacity of 50 MW, which places it among the largest in Europe. It stands on a plot of 100,000 m2 and can treat half a million tons of residual forest biomass per year, thus producing renewable energy equivalent to the energy consumption of the city of A Coruña.
Since its launch, it has allowed, in addition to the generation of renewable energy at a regulated price, the cleaning of a large part of the Galician mountains, contributing to reduce the risks of fires and forest pests. For the entire biomass collection process, Greenalia has 40 packing machines.  Thus, the operation of the plant has allowed the creation of 200 jobs in the rural environment of the facility in Galicia.

About Sure

SURE is a voluntary biomass sustainability certification system developed by REDcert (German company with experience in biofuel sustainability certification) and Bioenergy Europe (the European bioenergy association, with extensive knowledge in the biomass market and in managing certifications). SURE offers a practical solution to all agents operating within the bioenergy sector and who need to meet the requirements imposed by the new European Renewable Energy Directive (EU 2018/2001 REDII).