Sustainability Impact Assessment of Forest Bioenergy Value Chains in Quebec (Canada)—A ToSIA Approach

Abstract

Forest bioenergy value chains can offer attractive opportunities to promote economic development and mitigate climate change. However, implementing profitable and efficient forest biomass value chains requires overcoming barriers that continue to hinder the development of bioenergy systems in several jurisdictions. The objective of this study was to compare the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of various potential configurations of forest bioenergy value chains, including forest biomass supply and bioenergy production chains, in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec (Canada), which is a jurisdiction that has considerable forest resources but makes little use of bioenergy. We based our study on the ToSIA model parameterization and compared various policy measures, biomass supply, and logistics scenarios for 2008 and 2030. Our results showed that wood chip and pellet value chains in the Capitale-Nationale region would positively contribute to the regional economy in 2030, even in the absence of subsidies. Moreover, actions to increase biomass feedstock mobilization in 2030 would lead to an increase in gross value added, employment, and energy production in the region compared with 2008 and a greater increase than other considered policy or logistical measures. However, increased biomass feedstock mobilization would also mean higher relative GHG emissions and more fossil fuel energy input per unit of bioenergy than in the other scenarios. Conversely, optimizing biomass feedstock and combustion technologies could help minimize the fossil fuel energy input needed and GHG and some non-GHG pollutant emissions. Overall, our study suggested that implementing policy and logistical measures for forest biomass value chains could make the significant mobilization of forest bioenergy attainable and, in turn, Quebec’s 2030 bioenergy target of 17 petajoules realistic.

La bioénergie forestière pour lutter contre les changements climatiques : quelles implications dans la transition énergétique du Québec (Canada)?

“…Ensuite, la production et la consommation locales de bioénergie ont l'avantage de diminuer le transport et de favoriser une économie circulaire. Elles contribuent ainsi à dynamiser les communautés, à créer de la valeur et à diminuer localement les émissions des activités économiques (Locoh et al 2022a). Enfin, la production et la consommation locales de bioénergie favorisent également un meilleur contrôle sur l'utilisation des produits énergétiques, par exemple, en s'assurant que la bioénergie remplace en priorité les énergies fossiles les plus polluantes.…”

“…S'il est vrai que les chaînes d'approvisionnement et de transformation de biomasse forestière se heurtent à des obstacles, elles présentent cependant des opportunités. Elles peuvent être source de création d'emplois et de valeur ajoutée (Locoh et al 2022a). De plus, elles peuvent mobiliser les communautés autour d'un intérêt commun contribuant au développement d'une économie verte qui s'inscrit dans les initiatives de lutte contre les changements climatiques (Thiffault et al 2016).…”

Forest Supply Chain for Bioenergy: An Approach for Biomass Study in the Framework of a Circular Bioeconomy

“…To ensure the long-term viability of a forest-based circular bioeconomy, it is crucial to bridge knowledge and application gaps along the entire forest products value chain [3], i.e., from biomass production or generation to each stage of industrial processing [7]. Each of these links generates forest residues, which must be minimized through efficient and sustainable forest management and finally used for energy generation, with potential secondary benefits for rural economies [6,8]. The promotion of small-scale bioenergy projects could play a key role in the sustainable utilization of these residues/resources and contribute to decentralizing the energy system [9].…”