Forest woodchips supply chain in Southern Italy

In Calabria, Southern Italy, in the last five years some wood biomass power plants larger than 10 MWe have been installed. Organizing wood fuel supply is a main question: wood chips fuel is supplied through both terrestrial and marine routes. This research focuses on the forest supply chain of three wood biomass plants (for a total of 70 MWe). The yearly wood chips consumption is close to 1 million of green tons. The primary goal of this study is to analyze the local forest wood supply chain. On first, general figures about supplied wood chips or wood were collected for each wood biomass power plant. Above all the amount of wood chips from local area was analyzed. Therefore forest wood chips supply chains were approximately identified. Thus time studies were sorted for chipping operations in order to evaluate chipping systems with stationary chippers and mobile chippers. Different productivities and costs were analyzed.