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During the recent study visits organized by Svebio alongside the Nordic Pellets Conference 2024 in Malmö, participants were granted a unique opportunity to delve into the operations of the Ylstad Bulk Terminal. Situated in Ystad, Malmö, this pivotal facility serves as a distribution hub and collection point for an array of commodities, including wood pellets, grain, wood chips, and fertilizer, among others. 

Acquired by the CM Group in 2014, the Ylstad Bulk Terminal boasts an impressive storage capacity, with the ability to accommodate 20,000 MT of bulk, 7,000 MT of pallet goods, and 3,000 MT of wood chips. Notably, the terminal is home to active participants such as the trading company CM Biomass and the forest industry group Södra, both of which provided insightful presentations on their respective operations during the visit. 

At the core of the terminal's activities lies a focus on wood pellets, encompassing their importation from North America, predominantly the US, the bagging of Swedish-produced pellets, and their subsequent regional distribution. A highlight of the visit was the tour of the state-of-the-art bagging facility from Fisker, which features impressive screening capabilities with a capacity of 100 MT/hour and a fully automated form, fill, and seal bagging facility capable of processing 1,000 bags per hour. 

The visit also shed light on the potential risks to global pellets trading, with weather conditions and geopolitical tensions looming large as significant factors. CM Biomass, in their presentation, underscored the impact of these risks, citing the surge in prices observed at the close of 2022 following the onset of the Russian-Ukraine war. However, the group is actively engaged in efforts to mitigate these risks, including the diversification of importation-production routes and the expansion of their range of alternative fuels to encompass wood chips, cashew shells, and other viable options. 

The insights gleaned from the visit to the Ylstad Bulk Terminal serve to underscore its pivotal role in the sustainable supply chain of wood pellets for bioenergy production. The terminal not only encapsulates the operational intricacies of the wood pellet industry but also exemplifies the concerted measures being undertaken to fortify and sustain a secure and environmentally conscious supply chain.