Families to Receive Over 50 Thousand Cubic Meters of Dry Firewood for Winter

With the aim of strengthening the supply of high-quality solid biofuels in the Los Ríos Region and moving towards more efficient and less polluting heating, the Regional Ministry of Energy highlighted the work of the Biomass Processing Centers, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Energy that has increased the availability of dry firewood with the Seal for families in the region.

Currently, the region has 68 entrepreneurs who hold Firewood Quality Seals, contributing a total of 53,552 cubic meters of dry firewood available for this winter.

The Regional Minister of Energy for Los Ríos, Juan Manuel Taladriz, explained that firewood continues to be the main fuel used by families in the south of the country.

“Firewood represents 93.4% of residential energy consumption for heating at the regional level. The residential sector is responsible for 98.7% of total firewood consumption in the Los Ríos Region, reaching a high regional consumption level. Despite the widespread use of firewood, a large percentage of it is still wet, which generates environmental, health, and economic problems,” Taladriz specified.

The authority added that as the Ministry of Energy, they promote various initiatives to strengthen the supply of dry and quality firewood, directly supporting local producers and entrepreneurs.

“These Comprehensive Biomass Centers allow for modernizing processes, improving the competitiveness of the sector, and ensuring that families have access to more efficient and less polluting fuel during the winter,” stated the ministry authority.

Comprehensive Biomass Centers

The Comprehensive Biomass Centers correspond to a competitive fund from the Ministry of Energy that finances projects aimed at implementing and putting into operation infrastructure and equipment to increase the production and commercialization of quality solid biofuels.

In 2023, the program awarded four projects in the Los Ríos Region, with a total investment of $199,980,000. The initiatives include firewood and pellet processing centers that are currently in the phase of meeting production goals committed over three years.

Among the benefited projects are Comercial Char-Roy SpA, Juan Luis Contreras Ulloa Comercial y Forestal EIRL, Germán Miranda Cañas, and Comercial Martínez y Alveal Ltda. (DEMA), companies that, thanks to ministerial funding, have incorporated machinery, infrastructure, and equipment to improve their production processes and increase the regional supply of dry firewood and pellets.

One of the benefited entrepreneurs was Juan Luis Contreras, who valued the support provided by the Ministry of Energy to strengthen his firewood collection and processing center in the commune of La Unión.

“This project allowed us to modernize our work and considerably increase the production of dry firewood. Thanks to the Ministry's support, we were able to incorporate new machinery and improve our processes, which today allows us to deliver a higher quality product to the families of the region and better prepare for the high winter demand,” the entrepreneur stated.

Together, the three firewood centers committed to a goal exceeding 41 thousand m³ st by the third year of operation, directly contributing to the regional supply of quality biofuels and strengthening a more sustainable energy chain.

The regional authority also highlighted the importance of the future implementation of the Solid Biofuels Law, a regulation that seeks to regulate the quality of fuels such as firewood, pellets, briquettes, and charcoal.

“It is important to note that the objective of the law is for solid biofuels marketed in Chile to meet minimum technical quality specifications, allowing for efficient combustion and reducing risks to people's health and safety,” indicated Regional Minister Taladriz.

The authority added that “firewood represents 40% of residential energy consumption nationwide; between the O'Higgins and Aysén regions, two million homes, equivalent to 72%, use firewood for heating. These consumption levels are among the highest in the world, so moving towards regulated fuel is essential.”