Pellet stock crisis in Chillán: nowhere to get it and buyers consider returning to firewood

Although the Ministry of Energy assures that there is currently no pellet stock shortage and that production capacity would be sufficient to meet the estimated demand for this winter, the reality faced by consumers and merchants in Chillán shows a different scenario: long lines, stores without product, suppliers without restocking dates, and prices that have practically doubled in recent months.

The problem has become especially visible at points of sale such as Ecomas, on Avenida Argentina, where buyers have arrived to secure some bags. It is one of the last stores that, at least as of last Friday, still had pellet.

One of the buyers is Víctor Valdebenito, who explained that during the first months of winter he had no issues because he had stocked up beforehand, but that he now faces difficulties in completing the fuel he will need over the coming weeks.

"Since early August, from that date I've managed to get 10 bags at Ecomas. I've stood in long lines; for example, today I arrived at Ecomas at 7 in the morning, and when it was 8:45, with a line almost a block long, they told us the truck wasn't coming today (yesterday)," he told La Discusión.

Valdebenito stated that they also received no information about when the product would be restocked. The situation, he assured, has even led him to consider returning to wood-fired heating.

"We're looking at going back to installing a slow-combustion stove again, because with firewood it's available everywhere, nobody has problems," he said.

In fact, Ecomas was closed for most of yesterday, waiting for stock.

María Carrión, who over the weekend tried without success to get pellet for her stove, also said she is considering putting a wood stove back in her home. "It's not possible that the heating system that the Government itself encouraged Chillán residents to switch to now has no fuel. I think the solution will be to go back to firewood," she commented.

The shortage is also confirmed by local businesses. Sergio Contreras, from Bullstore, a business dedicated among other things to the sale of pellet, reported that they began facing difficulties with their suppliers two months ago.

"We started facing problems with pellet delivery starting in June. We already began to see the tightness in pellet deliveries. They tell me they don't have available stock, some machines have also failed, mostly that there's no availability of raw material, among other things," he explained.

Contreras assured that in the three years they have been selling pellet, they had not faced a similar situation. Added to this is the sharp increase in prices.

"In summer we had it at $3,200, and the last shipment that arrived we already had at $6,200," he specified, assuring that that shipment arrived about two weeks ago.

Even more complex is the outlook regarding a possible normalization. "I have nothing clear, we have no date. We were told we had to check again in October," he stated.

Although his business can sustain itself through other products, he assured that he knows distributors dedicated exclusively to pellet who are currently "quite struggling."

What the authorities say

The version of consumers and merchants contrasts with what was reported by the Ñuble Energy Seremi, Cristian Jaque. The big problem is that the entity only has data up to July 31, so the situation of recent weeks does not reflect the current outlook at all.

At a press conference, it was even indicated that, according to what the companies themselves reported, precisely up to July 31, there is availability and sufficient capacity to face the projected winter consumption. The truth is that it is not the reality buyers faced yesterday.

"Currently there is no pellet stock shortage, but we are indeed in a situation of tightness," Jaque stated, explaining that the Ministry of Energy receives information every 15 days on production, stock, and sales projections.

"To clarify that currently the pellet market is a private market, that is, the State cannot define how much is produced, how it is sold, or the price. What the Ministry of Energy has asked the different companies is to report on the stock situation to have the scenario fully monitored and, in turn, be able to inform the public," the authority maintained.

The seremi acknowledged, however, that during these days some communes may have experienced supply shortages due to logistical problems and called on families to avoid excessive purchases.

"We want to call on families to remain calm. As long as companies keep producing and we stay supplied with what we really need, we will allow the market to keep functioning and we will not contribute to a stock shortage," Jaque expressed.

The authority also announced that Sernac will be officially notified to evaluate possible actions regarding the significant increase in the price of pellet.

"We are going to notify Sernac in order to see what actions can be taken. But without a complaint, it's difficult. We believe this is due to the closure of the different sawmills that have always supplied biomass in the region for pellet production," the seremi concluded.

It was the same government, through the Decontamination Plan (PDA) of Chillán and Chillán Viejo, that encouraged the replacement of heaters in the intercommune, from wood stoves to pellet heaters.

Source:La Discusión