Pellets_quer.jpg
germany / austria / switzerland

Increase in output despite a challenging market situation

Article by Philipp Matzku (translated by Eva Guzely) | 30.10.2024 - 12:41

In March, production started at Tilly Holzindustrie’s pellet mill in Althofen which has a capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year. Since 2022, nine pellet mills went into operation in Austria, five of them at integrated production sites. The plant of Franz Moser – Der Hackschnitzler and the Mayr-Melnhof Holz’s mill in Reuthe have been in operation since the first quarter of 2023. In the summer of 2023, Holzindustrie Stallinger’s pellet mill with its annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes followed.

According to the Holzkurier’s research, capacity in Austria totals 2.62 million tonnes at the end of the year, with a target output of 1.88 million tonnes. Companies which did not provide information on their production figures were not taken into account. In 2023, reported production output amounted to 1.7 million tonnes.

In Germany, pellet production capacity is 4.93 million tonnes this year. Compared to Austria or Switzerland, fewer companies disclosed their production quantities in Germany, which is why estimates by the Holzkurier are used. Nevertheless, an increase in production from 2.63 million tonnes in 2023 to 2.86 million tonnes in 2024 can be observed.

In summer 2023, best wood Pellet started up its pellet mill in Meßkirch/DE. A newcomer in the pellet sector is Span Service Holzlogistik in Rhineland-Palatinate, where pellets are made from old and recycled wood, among other things. The Hermann Keller sawmill in Achern/DE plans to put its pellet mill with a capacity of 60,000 tonnes a year into operation in the first quarter of 2025. HMS Holzindustrie Hagenow wants to double its production capacity to over 100,000 tonnes a year by 2025. Following the takeover of Wismar Pellets this year, the Leag Group also acquired Swedish market leader Scanbio, thereby raising its pellet output to nearly 1 million tonnes a year.

According to research by the Holzkurier, around 360,000 tonnes of pellets were produced in Switzerland in 2023. In 2024, output is expected to total 390,000 tonnes, with a capacity of 542,000 tonnes. Two new pellet mills have been operative since summer: Resurses, Savognin/CH (10,000 t/year) and Pelleticino, Biasca/CH (2,000 t/year).

Unfortunately, there have also been fires in pellet mills, for example at Beo Pellets in Ringgenberg/CH at the beginning of October and at Nawaro Energie in Göpfritz, which has resumed production in October after the fire in June. The mill with an annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes went into operation in the first quarter of 2023. Matterhorn Pellets, which is based in Zermatt, also purchased new machines after a fire last year and resumed production this year.

Despite the difficult market situation and curtailments of cutting, pellet production has so far been practically unchanged. According to the German Pellet Institute (DEPI), production output totaled 2.79 million tonnes in the first nine months and is therefore just 1% lower than it had been in the same period of last year. Most of the many new and expanded production sites in the DACH region will likely be largely completed by the beginning of 2025. The Holzkurier editorial team is currently not aware of any other significant new pellet mills.

Pellet production in Austria, Germany and Switzerland | 2023/target 2024
All quantities in tonnes/year
Company Location Production 2022 Production 2023 Target production 2024 Capacity
Austria
Andreas Wiesbauer Hohenberg 25,000 45,000 45,000 50,000
Arlberg Pellets (Holz Falch) St. Anton 3,000 3,000 3,000 4,000
Bauer Pellets (1) Floing 8,000 6,500 7,500 9,000
Binderholz Fügen n/a n/a n/a 90,000
Binderholz Jenbach n/a n/a n/a 50,000
Binderholz St. Georgen/Sbg. n/a n/a n/a 20,000
Binderholz Unternberg n/a n/a n/a 12,000
Cycleenergy Aschach 24,500 32,000 32,000 35,000
Cycleenergy Gaishorn 45,000 50,000 50,000 50,000
Cycleenergy Gresten 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000
Donausäge Rumplmayr Enns 8,000 64,000 68,000 80,000
EHO Pellets Rohrbach an der Lafnitz 22,000 58,000 60,000 90,000
Enzlmüller* Peterskirchen n/a n/a n/a 6,000
Franz Kirnbauer Ternitz 6,000 8,500 8,700 26,000
Franz Moser (2) Neumarkt 15,000 15,000 70,000
Hot‘ts Pellets Glechner Mattighofen 25,000 25,000 25,000 40,000
Hot‘ts Pellets Glechner Oberweis 65,000 65,000 65,000 65,000
Hasslacher Preding Holzindustrie Preding 102,200 94,000 106,000 120,000
Holzindustrie Stallinger (3) Frankenmarkt 12,000 75,000 80,000
Holzhof Schmidt Aspang 14,000 14,000 15,000 15,000
Johann Pabst Holzindustrie Zeltweg 60,000 62,000 55,000 120,000
KP Wood Energy Althofen 20,000 20,000 20,000 25,000
Ländle Pellets Dornbirn n/a n/a n/a 30,000
Mafi Naturholzboden Schneegattern 16,000 16,000 16,000 16,000
MAK Holz* Haimburg 25,000 25,000 30,000 30,000
Mayr-Melnhof Holz Leoben 100,000 80,000 100,000 120,000
Mayr-Melnhof Holz (4) Reuthe 22,000 22,000 25,000
Nawaro Energie Betrieb (5) Göpfritz n/a n/a 80,000
Norica Pellets Hermagor 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000
Pelletswerk Waldviertel Rastenfeld 23,000 21,500 22,000 24,000
Peter Seppele Feistritz an der Drau 20,000 20,000 20,000 25,000
Peter Seppele Sachsenburg 120,000 120,000 120,000 120,000
Pfeifer Holz Imst 30,000 30,000 30,000 35,000
Pfeifer Holz Kundl 150,000 150,000 130,000 180,000
RZ Pellets Amstetten 13,000 14,000 15,000 20,000
RZ Pellets Bad St. Leonhard 85,000 81,000 85,000 85,000
RZ Pellets Leiben bei Melk 45,000 40,000 45,000 45,000
RZ Pellets Liebenfels 38,000 28,000 40,000 40,000
RZ Pellets Sollenau 23,000 21,000 30,000 40,000
RZ Pellets Vöcklamarkt 125,000 126,000 130,000 150,000
RZ Pellets Ybbs/Donau 89,000 60,000 90,000 100,000
Salzburg Pellets (ehemals Firestixx) Abtenau 70,000 65,000 65,000 80,000
Schößwendter Holz Saalfelden 35,000 50,000 45,000 70,000
Sturmberger Wels 45,000 50,000 n/a 85,000
Tilly Holzindustrie (6) Althofen 80,000 100,000
Weinsberg Pellets Martinsberg 40,000 45,000 50,000 100,000
Germany
Company Location Production 2022 Production 2023 Target production 2024 Capacity
1Heiz Pellets* Calau 30,000 30,000 n/a 40,000
1Heiz Pellets* Eberswalde  20,000 20,000 n/a 50,000
Allspan Spanverarbeitung Karlsruhe 2,500 2,500 2,500 5,000
ante-BioPELL (7) Empfingen n/a n/a n/a 80,000
ante-holz Gruppe Bromskirchen-Somplar 200,000 n/a n/a 250,000
ante-holz Gruppe Rottleberode/Südharz 160,000 n/a n/a 250,000
Bayerwald Pellet  Regen 33,000 27,000 40,000 47,000 
Baust Holzbetrieb Eslohe-Bremke 24,000 24,000 24,000 30,000
best wood Pellets Eberhardzell 28,000 28,000 28,000 30,000
best wood Pellets (8) Meßkirch 26,000 30,000 30,000
Binderholz Deutschland Kösching n/a n/a n/a 190,000
Brennpunkt Energie Ruderatshofen n/a n/a n/a n/a
Biopellet Magdeburg Magdeburg 50,000 45,000 45,000 50,000
Danpower Osterfeld n/a n/a n/a 60,000
Dorr-Biomassehof Fuchstal-Asch 64,000 55,000 60,000 75,000
EC Bioenergie Dotternhausen Dotternhausen 45,000 45,000 45,000 45,000
EC Bioenergie Hardegsen Hardegsen 75,000 75,000 70,000 75,000
EC Bioenergie Kehl Kehl 40,000 40,000 40,000 50,000
EC Bioenergie Morbach Morbach 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000
EC Bioenergie Mudau Mudau 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
EnergiePellets Hosenfeld Hosenfeld 65,000 65,000 65,000 65,000
Energieversorgung Offenbach (EVO) Offenbach 75,000 80,000 75,000 90,000
Erdenwerk Gregor Ziegler  Plößberg 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000
FP Franken-Pellets Stadtsteinach 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000
Haas Fertigbau Falkenberg 2,500 2,500 2,500 3,000
Hanse-Pellet* Buchholz i.d.N. n/a n/a n/a 45,000
HMs Holzindustrie Hagenow (ehemals HMS-Holz) (10) Hagenow 38,000 50,000 57,000 55,000
Holtmeyer Pellet Ottersberg 40,000 38,000 35,000 50,000
Holzindustrie Gustav Hassel (9) Stockum-Püschen 30,000 45,000 55,000
Holzwerke Ladenburger Bopfingen 43,000 40,000 43,000 50,000
Holzwerke van Roje Oberhonnefeld-Gierend 75,000 73,000 71,000 80,000
Holzwerke Weinzierl Vilshofen 200,000 180,000 190,000 210,000
Hot‘ts Pellets Glechner  Pfarrkirchen 15,000 15,000 15,000 20,000
HPS (Leag-Gruppe) (ehem. Holzkontor Pelletierwerk) Schwedt n/a 45,000 21,000 120,000
HS Timber Productions Kodersdorf n/a n/a n/a 198,000
HVT Hobelspanverarbeitung (Brandenburg-Gruppe) Dittersdorf n/a n/a n/a n/a
HVW Hobelspanverarbeitung (Brandenburg-Gruppe) Kritzow n/a n/a n/a n/a
J. Freytag Warburg 36,000 35,650 38,000 40,000
Joh. Brandenburg Goldenstedt n/a n/a n/a n/a
JRS Holzenergie HEW* Ettenheim n/a n/a n/a 100,000
JRS Holzenergie HEW Herbrechtingen n/a n/a n/a n/a
Hermann Keller (11) Achern 60,000
Mercer Torgau (12) (ehemals HIT Torgau) * Torgau n/a n/a n/a 150,000
NRW Pellets Erndtebrück 95,500 102,500 102,500 120,000
Overbeck Bioenergie Hattingen n/a n/a
Pelletwerk Ziertheim Ziertheim 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000
Pelltec Sonsbeck 3,000 3,000 3,000 4,000
Pfeifer Holz Lauterbach 90,000 70,000 70,000 100,000
Pfeifer Holz Unterbernbach 120,000 120,000 120,000 150,000
Pieper Pellets Olsberg-Assinghausen n/a 53,000 60,000 100,000
Prinz Eugen Energiepark Bad Arolsen 66,000 62,000 70,000 70,000
Propell (Leag-Gruppe) Oranienbaum n/a 17,000 29,000 65,000
Propell (Leag-Gruppe) Löbau n/a 31,000 47,000 65,000
Rettenmeier Holzindustrie  Ramstein 80,000 80,000 100,000 120,000
Schellinger Buchenbach n/a n/a 70,000 75,000
Schellinger Krauchenwies n/a n/a 45,000 50,000
Schmelter (Lenne Pellets) Lennestadt 7,000 13,000 15,000 25,000
Schwaiger Holzindustrie Hengersberg 237,000 265,000 290,000 330,000
Span Service Holzlogistik (13) Edenkoben n/a 40,000
Westpellets Titz-Ameln n/a n/a n/a 10,000
Wismar Pellets (Leag-Gruppe) Wismar 200,000 125,000 145,000 250,000
Westerwälder Holzpellets Langenbach 51,300 43,900 43,000 60,000
WUN Bioenergie Wunsiedel 170,000 190,000 190,000 200,000
Xaver Bullinger (14) Abtsgmünd 4,000 8,000 9,000
Ziegler Naturenergie  Pressath 225,000 225,000 225,000 250,000
Switzerland
Company Location Production 2022 Production 2023 Target production 2024 Capacity
AEK Pellet Klus-Balsthal 60,000 60,000 56,000 60,000
Agro Energiezentrum Rigi Haltikon 50,000 60,000 60,000 70,000
Balteschwiler Laufenburg 1,800 1,650 2,000 4,000
Bartholdi Pellets* Schmidshof 7,000 7,000 7,000 10,000
BeO Pellets* (15) Ringgenberg 5,400 6,070 6,000 8,000
BestPellet Wärme* Düdingen 11,000 n/a 12,000 14,000
Braunschweiler Pellets* Bremgarten 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000
Bürli Trocknungsanlage* Alberswil n/a 6,000 6,000 10,000
Enerbois Rueyres 20,000 16,918 22,000 22,000
Friedli Bioenergien Burgdorf 3,400 3,400 3,400 3,400
Konrad Keller (16) Unterstammheim 5,000 3,000 5,000 5,000
Lehmann Holzwerk Gossau 41,000 40,000 41,000 50,000
Matterhorn Pellet (17) Zermatt 10,000 3,000 5,000 30,000
Mivelaz Bois Le Mouret 3,750 5,921 6,000 7,000
Otto Lädrach (OLWO) Stalden  2,400 2,400 2,400 3,000
Pelleticino* (18) Biasca 800 2,000
Pellets du Jura Vendlincourt 6,500 6,600 7,000 10,000
Peter Holzbau* Blumenstein 7,500 6,000 6,000 7,500
Resurses (19) Savognin 2,500 10,000
Tschopp Holzindustrie Buttisholz 115,000 105,000 115,000 180,000
Valais Pellets Ernen 5,000 6,000 6,000 12,000
Valpellets Uvrier 18,500 19,500 14,500 20,000
WK-Paletten Schüpbach 1,750 1,750 1,750 2,000