欧洲用于能源市场的木片正在经历一场转型，因为几个大型木片发电项目上线。然而，能源木片快速扩张的海运贸易是否将改变市场运作方式以及是否支持燃料的商品化仍有待观察。

The European wood chip for energy market is undergoing a transformation as several large-scale wood chip-fired power projects come online. However, it remains to be seen whether the rapidly expanding seaborne trade of wood chips for energy will change how the market operates and if it will support the commodification of the fuel.

自2016年以来，已有四家大型新型木片燃烧厂上线，主要依赖进口木片，这在此之前几乎闻所未闻。木片市场传统上由中小型热电联产和使用当地木材资源的区域供热厂主导（现在仍然如此）。向更远的地方采购的大型工厂的转变将极大地改变市场的动态。

Since 2016 four large new wood chip-fired plants have come online, largely reliant on imported wood chips, an almost unheard of situation prior to that time (see my previous blog for more details on those new projects). The chip market has traditionally been dominated (and still is) by small and medium scale CHP and district heating plants using local wood resources. The shift to larger plants sourcing from much further afield will dramatically change the dynamics of the market.

通过分析热电联产和正在建设的热电厂的管道，我们在未来一两年内确定了欧洲至少还有250万吨的海运木片需求。木片进口需求的激增给市场带来了许多问题，即市场将如何变化，供应来自哪里以及流动现货市场是否会发展？

By analysing the pipeline of CHP and heat plants under construction we have identified at least a further 2.5M green tonnes of seaborne chip demand in Europe in just the next year or two. This surge in wood chip import requirements leaves many questions about how the market will change, where supply will come from and whether a liquid spot market will develop?

可以在木屑颗粒市场找到答案吗？木屑颗粒的国际贸易现已存在十多年，但仍缺乏其他商品市场的流动性和标准化。毫无疑问，它比木片市场更先进。

Could the answers be found in the wood pellet market? The international trade of wood pellets has existed for over ten years now but still lacks the liquidity and standardisation evident in other commodity markets. And there is no doubt that it is much further advanced than the wood chip market.

市场上的许多人都清楚标准化，即规范的标准化，质量测试程序或使用的单位; 它应该是吨，绝干吨，千兆焦耳还是立方米？如果市场要成熟和发展，这些问题的答案是至关重要的。

It is clear to many in the market that standardisation, be that standardisation of specification, quality testing procedures or units used; should it be green tonnes, bone-dry tonnes, gigajoules or cubic metres?  Answers to such questions is vital if the market is to mature and evolve.

如果我们关注木屑颗粒市场，很明显工业最终用户在过程早期采用I2标准有助于开发现货市场 - 尽管不像许多人希望的那样流动。虽然远非完美，但I2标准提供了基于合同和讨论的基本规范。即便如此，除I2规格外，几乎每个工业颗粒购买者都有自己的要求。类似的规格是否适用于木片市场？

If we look to the wood pellet market, it is evident that the adoption by industrial end-users of the I2 standard early in the process helped develop a spot market – albeit not as liquid as many would hope for. Although far from perfect, the I2 standard provides a basic specification which contracts and discussions are based upon. Even so, almost every industrial pellet buyer has its own requirements aside from the I2 specification. Could a similar specification work in the wood chip market?

Bioenergy Europe自己的认证计划GoodChips可以提供解决方案吗？

Could Bioenergy Europe’s own certification scheme GoodChips provide a solution?

问题的关键在于几乎每个木片锅炉，即使是由同一家公司运营，也需要不同规格的木片，这使得标准化尤其具有挑战性。许多最终用户发现他们的选择受到锅炉制造商规定的保证条款的限制。一些市场参与者建议推翻锅炉制造商并鼓励他们放松保修规格。

The crux of the problem seems to be that almost every wood chip boiler, even when operated by the same company, requires a different specification of chips, making standardisation especially challenging. Many end-users find their options are restricted by the terms of the guarantee stipulated by their boiler manufacturer. Some market players have suggested pushing back on boiler manufacturers and encouraging them to loosen their guarantee specifications.

最近，公司 - 特别是安装大型工厂的公司 - 正在选择具有更高燃料灵活性的锅炉。例如，在新的Asnæs工厂，Ørsted的木屑锅炉比在Skærbæk和Herning的老式锅炉更加灵活。正是运营电厂所使用技术的这种变化导致可接受的燃料规格的差异越来越大。

More recently, companies – particularly those installing larger plants – are choosing boilers which have greater fuel flexibility. For example, Ørsted’s wood chip boiler at its new Asnæs plant is a lot more fuel flexible than its older ones at Skærbæk and Herning. It is this variation in the technology used by operational power plants that creates increasing disparity in acceptable fuel specifications.

展望未来，这将是行业的行动和利益相关者共同合作的能力，这将决定是否可以实现标准化。

Looking ahead, it will be the actions of the industry and the ability of stakeholders to work together which will determine if standardisation can be achieved.

为能源市场开发更标准化，商品化的木片的一个挑战是市场的分散和不透明。买家和卖家通常可以孤立地工作，专注于一对一的关系，几乎没有与更广泛市场互动的意识。

One challenge in developing a more standardised, commoditised chips for energy market is the fragmentation and opaqueness in the market. Buyers and sellers can often work in isolation, focussing on one-to-one relationships, with little interaction and knowledge of the wider market.