Tuan biomass

Albioma has announced the acquisition of the Tuan wood pellet plant, located in Queensland, Australia. The plant’s raw material is formed of residues supplied under long-term agreements by the region’s main sawmills, which process wood from sustainably-managed forests. The plant, which has been in operation since 2014, produces 65,000 tonnes of high-quality wood pellets each year.

The transaction also includes a 35,000-tonne storage facility in the port of Bundaberg and a 57 ha site in South Australia, near Mount Gambier, for a prospective wood pellet plant that could produce 300,000 tonnes per year. A construction permit has been secured for the site.

Ideally positioned at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, these facilities will supply the Group’s biomass power stations on La Réunion. The acquisition serves Albioma’s objective of strengthening its security of supply of high-quality sustainable biomass.

Frédéric Moyne, Chairman of Albioma, said: “We welcome the teams at Tuan, who are bringing all their expertise to Albioma. This operation will enable us to diversify our pellet supply portfolio, which meets the most stringent requirements on sustainable development. In addition to locally-sourced biomass, which is naturally given priority in order to promote the circular economy, this supply is essential to guarantee the continued production of renewable energy in the French Overseas Territories. This acquisition steps up Albioma’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region, where we have been deeply rooted for decades”.