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Seremi of Energy and INFOR Highlight the Potential of the Santa Bárbara Demonstration Module to Promote Certified Firewood

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With the aim of advancing the implementation of the Biofuels Law and promoting the use of certified firewood, a visit was made to the firewood drying demonstration module in Santa Bárbara. This unit is part of INFOR's Forest Biomass and Energy R&D Line and the ongoing FNDR program "Forests for Energy."

Among the initiatives developed are the planting and management of young forests for firewood and pellet production, training for producers with the Quality Seal, and the creation of informational materials for the sector.

The Seremi of Energy, Jorge Cáceres, emphasized the relevance of this project for the region. "Firewood accounts for 40% of residential energy consumption nationwide and is used by more than two million households in the country. The implementation of the Biofuels Law challenges us to move toward a more efficient and sustainable use of this resource. INFOR's demonstration module is a concrete example of how we can innovate in this industry, providing tools to producers and encouraging the transition to certified biofuels that benefit both the environment and the families of our region," he stated.

Meanwhile, INFOR's manager, Karina Luengo, highlighted the module's impact on the sustainable development of the energy sector. "This initiative marks a milestone in INFOR's work, where, under an FNDR project funded by the Regional Government, we can now provide a solution to firewood producers in the Santa Bárbara commune. This will allow them to offer the market dry, quality firewood in line with the requirements of the new biofuels law. Additionally, it will enable them to increase the productive capacity of this fuel to make it less polluting," she emphasized.

Similarly, the acting Seremi of Agriculture, Fabiola Lara, stressed the importance of carrying out such activities to promote the consumption of quality firewood. "This is an activity that we in agriculture are trying to promote—producing dry firewood—because many farmers engage in this productive activity on their land. That is why we hope to produce dry firewood so that in the future it can be certified and sold at authorized points in the cities of the Biobío region."

This program also includes the establishment of energy forests, direct support for firewood producers, and the organization of activities to identify sector challenges and seek effective solutions. The importance of these efforts is reflected in the country's high firewood consumption, one of the highest in the world, underscoring the need to move toward more efficient and regulated energy consumption under Law No. 21,499.