Forest Management Communities’ Participation in Bioenergy Production Initiatives: A Case Study for Galicia (Spain)

Raquel Fernández-González, Félix Puime Guillén, Otilia Manta, Simona Andreea Apostu and Valentina Vasile
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Raquel Fernández-González: Department of Applied Economics, ECOBAS, University of Vigo, ERENEA, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Félix Puime Guillén: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, 15008 A Coruna, Spain
Simona Andreea Apostu: Department of Statistics and Econometrics, Faculty of Statistics, Cybernetics and Economic Informatics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010552 Bucharest, Romania
Valentina Vasile: Institute of National Economy, 050771 Bucharest, Romania

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-17

Abstract: Bioenergy is the form of clean energy with the greatest potential for growth in Spain, especially in those regions with a large forest area and a high potential for the utilization of forest resources for energy purposes. This is the case in Galicia (a region located in northwestern Spain), where the communal management of forest resources is widespread. Within this type of management, there is a pioneering case study in which biomass energy use activities have been initiated through an international project. The possible success of this project is of great importance since it could represent an alternative to the main energy activity in the common management of forests: the production of wind energy. In recent years, and with a special increase in 2022, Galician public opinion has expressed its opposition to the implementation of new wind farms in its forests. The aim of this article is to analyze whether or not it is profitable for forest management communities to participate in bioenergy initiatives, which is a novel analysis of the Galician geographical area. For this purpose, the main economic and financial variables of the Galician forest management communities participating in the bioenergy project, SilvaPlus Project, have been analyzed, before and during their participation in the project. In addition, a financial comparison is also made with a group of Galician forest management communities without the energy use of their resources. The evolution of the relevant variables, analyzed between 2011 and 2020, shows a generally positive trend in the values of the forest communities participating in the bioenergy generation project, resulting in a positive experience, both environmentally and financially, for the forest community.

Keywords: bioenergy; community management; financial and economic performance; Galicia; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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