The Chips are down ? - Wood Energy Scotland

The Chips are down ?
Isle of Mull Woodfuel Group

Background of the group
• The History of the Mull Wood fuel (Woodchip) group goes back to the early 2000’s
• A number of awareness sessions were held by Forestry Commission Scotland to
promote the use of wood fuel and in particular woodchip.
• The initial take up was slow until grants became available to form wood fuel ‘clusters’
• A viable proposition to start and organise a group to make both the supply and the
usage sustainable.
• We were assured by Forestry Commission Scotland that wood would always be
made available for wood-fuel and that it was a local priority. Local FCS staff were
extremely supportive. Rebecca Carr.
• I asked that a meeting with all interested parties be facilitated by MICT, to see if there
was enough local support to commit to the project.
• The meeting was held in 2006 at An Tobar in Tobermory, and fifteen people
attended.
• Crucially, a local farmer, Robin Sedgwick came forward and offered to be the
supplier.
• Before we went any further, we decided that professional advice should be taken, so
we asked the recognised expert, Bob McIlwraith.

The setting up
• Bob firstly took us down to Campbeltown and the swimming pool at Lochgilphead.
• Took us through the various set ups of equipment etc.
• We then met a couple more times with Forestry Commission Scotland and our timber supplier
Iggesund Forestry Uk to confirm security of our supply of seasoned timber and assurances were
made. This was a gentlemen’s agreement

Setting up pt 2
• We moved on quickly with Rebecca Carr from Forestry Commission Scotland to form the ‘Cluster’
and we applied for grants for boilers installations and to set up the woodchip supplier Crannich
Wood fuel.
• FCS generally and local Mull staff have always greatly supported us from the start, in the use and
development of wood fuel on Mull with advise and involvement at events.
• By 2007 we had four boilers operating, and the supply chain established with good quality dry chip
and one of the first pioneering woodchip drying floors.
• Chipping was, and still is, done by contractor Richard Livett from Ardnamurchan who travels over
on the ferry. The group has felt a responsibility to Richard for his services, as it provides on-going
employment for another small rural local contractor even though it adds an additional cost to our
members.
• The group has survived and has developed through trust and a strong group loyalty, combined
with mutual support.

Education process
• The group has also worked together to gain more education about woodchip and the
technology involved, and in 2007 we took part in an ‘Ignite ’training course leading to
a City and Guilds Lantra qualification in Wood fuel production.
• With the knowledge gained, several of us have given talks to organisations like West
Highland Housing Association (2008), and various wood fuel events in Scotland, and
have tried to organise the first WESCO for a new housing estate in Tobermory.
• This failed because of restrictions on the way the association were allowed to fund
heating on the estate and lower heat requirements due to highly insulated designs,
but did result in the Association choosing wood chip for our new hospital and
Progressive Care Centre.

Today
• We have 9 woodchip boilers on the island, one of which is situated at our new ‘state
of the art’ bakery. The Island bakery Organics has one of only two specially designed
woodchip fired ovens in Europe, the other being in Austria. The bakery is unique
though, in that it is totally using renewables in its organic biscuits production, with
electricity also being produced by its own hydro plant.
• We have our local hospital the PCC woodchip fuelled.
• My own five properties in Tobermory with a district heating system running from a
100kw Heizomat Boiler.
• Six other large buildings.
• Prospect of Local and Health Authorities moving to Biomass.

A couple of images from the group

Responsibility for supply
• I was alarmed some months ago, when the wood-fuel supplier came to me and
apologised for the timber quality.
• The seasoned wood that was laid down for the wood-fuel supply chain previously had
gone and only freshly cut timber 3-4 months at roadside was now available.
Investigation was required!
• Wood has been leaving the island in much larger quantities than previously due to
new jetty and proposed larger jetty and demand elsewhere
• I was personally concerned that the timber supplier was the owner of a large Biomass
power station in Workington.
• Potentially, this was a very ‘good news’ story, as our timber was always almost un
economic to take from the island.
• On the other hand, this was happening so quickly, that my personal alarm bells rang.
• I was pretty sure that this could be worked through, but we needed to investigate.

Getting a study done!
• At an F.S.B. meeting with Mike Mackenzie, M.S.P., the subject of a possible problem
was discussed. Mike was interested in knowing more about the wood-fuel cluster on
Mull and so I took him around the main areas, and showed him what I thought MAY
be a problem.
• The study was important for all our areas as many FSB members have taken
advantage of wood fuel, and, in my case, RHI.
• I needed future users in Argyll to be assured beyond all doubt, that a strategy was in
place to secure and convince all doubters and agencies that all was well.
• Mike did some background work to see if a general study could be done.
• FCS was contacted and Ali Energy proposed to do the work.
• FCS produced a really good set of maps and plans for Lynda to work from.
• Syd allocated some funds to start the work. Obviously to do a detailed study would
be too expensive, so a worst case scenario of wood-fuel supply was proposed.
• I also looked at the planning of the forest felling plan and talked to forest planning
• Clearly, by all of the results, wood-fuel is in theory secure on the island.
• The problem remains about how to secure seasoned supply ready for both saw logs
and woodchip?

Felling plan

When the chips are down
The alternatives suggested to peruse are various and wide ranging.
1. Buy sections of timber on the open market as they occur. Possible, but tricky.
Who pays for the timber and infrastructure, like roads? Who finds the capital?
2. Buy whole sections of woodland through the land scheme for the community. Has
advantages, but a lot of work, even though it has other benefits.
3. Buy the whole of the forest estate on Mull for the community. Very feasible,
particularly in the medium term. One set of quite elaborate negotiations, but
Green investors, along with the community company could see this one through.
4. The most sensible solution in my opinion is that we sit down with the timber
harvesters like Iggesund Forestry Uk and others and come to an agreement about
laying down timber for seasoning. I would hope that as a gesture to the
community, they would do this and only charge for the delivered price of timber.
We should remember that with the extra timber extraction, good will may not go a
miss.
As a group we must convince the agencies that we are serious! When the chips are
down, we want the odds stacking in favour and well seasoned !!!!
The FSB have a meeting on Monday morning with Fergus Ewing. Ideas please?
Thanks to Mike Mackenzie msp, David Jardine, Lynda, Syd and, of course, good old Bob!