When it comes to pellets, the EU is the most important market for Russia and Belarus. According to Lesprom Analytics, the EU was the destination for 80% of exports last year, with shipments totaling 1.95 million t in 2021 and 2.2 million t in 2020. Lesprom Analytics reports that exports of wood pellets from Russia to the United Kingdom grew by 6% in the first quarter. According to biomarketinsights.com, this upward trend was driven by an exceptionally strong increase in January (+120%; 49,000 t). In March, however, shipments fell by 76 % to 7,000 t.
Russia is Germany’s second most important pellets supplier behind Denmark. According to Destatis, 55,676 t of pellets were imported from Russia in 2021 (total: 381,641 t) and 22,700 t in 2020 (total: 301,622 t).
Alternative markets outside of Europe are economically not interesting or profitable. Consequently, Russian producers are concerned about having to curtail or even suspend pellet production. Only a maximum of 20% of the total amount of sawdust can be used for the production of chipboards and oriented-strand boards, as Alexander Konyuhov, deputy production manager at the Russian sawmill SevLesPil, explains in an interview with biomarketinsights.com.
