Implementing organisation: EPCI

Status: completed

Description:
In the remote villages of the Volga river basin, fossil fuels for heating are transported by road, servicing a regional population of between 5-7 million people.  The region has incomes significantly lower than the national average and the cost of fossil fuels for heating is a drain to municipal and residential budgets.  Converting district heating systems to forest biomass would reduce the consumption of fossil fuels within the region by 20-30 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually with a subsequent reduction of heating costs by as much as 50%.

This project evaluates the potential for the establishment of a biomass industry for district heating in the Volga river region.  It  reviews supply issues, forest restoration activities, assessment criteria, and village heating utilization in order to build the case for obtaining support from the State Duma and from districts within the Volga river basin for substituting fossil fuels with forest biomass.

The project team includes representatives of the Volga regions, members of the Committee on the Ecology of the State Duma, and leading experts in biomass.