Supply of wood fuel in Southland will stimulate demand   “The announcement by Simon Bridges, the Minister of Energy and Resources that the Government will contribute NZ$1.5 million to improving the supply and use of wood fuel in Southland is a good signal that the Government is recognising the employment, economic and energy supply benefits from using wood instead of coal as a fuel for heating,” said the Chair of the Bioenergy Association. The Minister announced at the Bioenergy Association conference last week that The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) will work with Southland to develop a wood fuel supply hub and to facilitate the relationship between the supply and demand for wood fuel in the region. Mr Rob Mallinson, Chair of the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand (BANZ) said “there really is no better time to be considering the use of forest harvest and wood processing residues as a fuel for hospitals, institutional and industrial heat applications. The Government should be congratulated for their recognition that we can get additional value from wood. Currently approximately 10-15% of wood is wasted and this is an economic loss to the country, as well as lost revenue to forestry and wood processing companies. ”