The Netherlands has recorded a sharp fall in wood pellet imports over the past two years, according to its National Market Report 2025, presented at the 83rd session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry, Bioenergy Insight reported.
After several years of steady growth driven by biomass use in power plants, pellet imports peaked at nearly 2.7 million tonnes in 2021. Volumes then began to decline, dropping to about 2.2 million tonnes in 2023.
The latest data show a much steeper fall in 2024, with imports decreasing to around 1.4 million tonnes — a decline of roughly 36 per cent in a single year.
The earlier surge in imports was linked to the expansion of biomass co-firing at Dutch power utilities, which increased their use of woody biomass as part of the country’s efforts to cut emissions. Under the National Climate Agreement signed in 2019, the Netherlands set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 49 per cent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Biomass was expected to play a temporary role alongside wind and solar energy.
That role is now shrinking. Electricity generation from biomass fell by 12 per cent in 2024, even as the overall share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix rose to 19.8 per cent from 17.4 per cent in 2023. Wind and solar accounted for 32 per cent and 22 per cent of renewable generation, respectively, while biomass made up 34 per cent.
The broader trend indicates that the Netherlands is relying less on biomass for power production.
Domestic pellet production remained largely stable at about 233,000 metric tonnes in 2024, compared with just over 231,000 tonnes the previous year. Roughly half of this output is exported, limiting the impact of falling domestic demand on local producers.
Government policy is also shifting. The Sustainability Framework for bio-based raw materials, introduced in 2020, sets priorities for biomass use, favouring material applications over energy generation. Energy use is treated as a lower priority and is subject to gradual phase-out measures.
In addition, new sustainability rules aligned with the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive III are expected to take effect from January 2027 at the earliest. These rules will apply to subsidised and regulated biomass used for energy.With tighter regulations and continued growth in wind and solar power, wood pellet use for electricity generation in the Netherlands is unlikely to return to its 2021 peak, the report suggests.
