Poland's Ministry of Climate, headed by Paulina Henning-Kloska, is preparing a draft regulation that should clearly define what energy wood is. Until now, Polish legislation has described this term in general: raw material from wood, which, due to its qualitative and dimensional characteristics, has a reduced technical and consumer value.
This record allowed for a wide interpretation, so the Ministry of Climate decided to make changes. The new rules will limit the possibility of using wood for energy purposes, while increasing its availability for industry.
The explanatory note to the project states that the main goal of the proposed ordinance is to eliminate the practice of burning wood in the energy sector. As "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" notes, the new rules will be useful for the furniture industry.
Thanks to the changes, an additional one and a half million cubic meters of wood can enter the market, which under current rules would have been burned in furnaces. On this occasion, we decided to talk to Raphael Scheffler from the Coalition for Polish Wood. I congratulate you. Where are you going?
Rafael Scheffler, Coalition for Polish Wood: Good afternoon. Yes, I'm on my way right now, but I stopped in the parking lot for a safe chat. Good day, Mr. Editor. Good day everyone.
Roman Mlodkovskiy, Biznes24: These one and a half million cubic meters of wood - how big is the change in the supply of wood for furniture production? How can it affect at all?
Rafael Scheffler: It remains to be seen, Mr. Editor, because there will really be one and a half million. This is the assessment of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and I very much hope that it will be the case. If this happens, these one and a half million cubic meters will definitely help the Polish producers of wooden boards used in the production of furniture, and it should ease the situation on the market, which is not the best at the moment.
Roman Mlodkovskii: The cost is especially high, maybe not - it is too much said, but there is a problem with the availability of raw materials. And here we see certain problems. I hope that this will change in the near future. There are some signs of growth, but it's just a small light at the end of the tunnel. We will wait until the end of summer. Now we have a dead season.
Roman Mlodkovskyi: What is the problem with access to raw materials? In principle, there is no such problem as affordability in a market economy. There is only a price problem, because when raw materials are scarce, they become more expensive, and, accordingly, production becomes less profitable.
Rafael Scheffler: But when we have a monopoly on the supply of wood, this is a problem. In Poland, as in many other countries, the State Forests are a monopoly, and they care more about their own interests. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's what happens when a company thinks about itself first, and about its customers second.
Rafael Scheffler: Imports are not the solution to the problem, as there is also a small problem in Poland that recycled wood cannot be imported from abroad, which is the basis for wood panel manufacturers. As for the draft order prepared by the ministry, it contains very important details. Unfortunately, it is explicitly stated there that shavings, sawdust, wood chips are considered energy wood.
This is not profitable from the point of view of the furniture industry and manufacturers of wooden boards, because for us it is a complete raw material. Mr. Mykolai Doroza claims that there will be a priority in purchasing sawdust, shavings or chips, but this is not spelled out in the project, and we are afraid that there will be complete freedom of action, and the main role will be played by the price. We may not be able to compete with power plants, and if we do, we will be at a disadvantage.
