I’m about to invest in a biomass pellet plant in North India — before I put the money in, I’d genuinely like to hear from people who actually use biomass fuel
I’m working on setting up a small-scale biomass pellet manufacturing plant in North India ( UP - UTTRAKHAND), and I’m at the stage where most of the groundwork is already done.
Land is sorted.
Raw material procurement has been worked out.
Machinery and production setup have been researched and shortlisted.
I’ve spent quite a lot of time studying the economics, moisture, GCV, production losses, storage and logistics rather than simply assuming that “biomass is the future” and jumping into it.
The initial plan is to start production at roughly 20–30 tons/day, using locally available wood biomass, primarily a mix of hardwood sawdust.
The plant is being planned with two machines, giving us the ability to scale production to roughly 70–80 tons/day as demand develops.
Our initial target is around 4,200–4,500 kcal/kg GCV, with low ash n moisture content, although the exact specification can obviously be known with lab test of product.
The reason I'm posting this now is simple:
Before committing the final investment, I want to know what the actual market thinks.
If you currently use coal, wood, biomass briquettes/pellets or another solid fuel in a boiler/furnace, I would really appreciate your honest feedback:
What biomass fuel are you currently using?
What GCV/moisture/ash specification do you require?
What price are you currently paying, delivered to your plant?
What are the biggest problems you face with biomass suppliers?
Is inconsistent quality really as big a problem as people say?
Would you consider trying a new local supplier if the product specification was consistent?
And if there are industrial users here who are actually looking to buy biomass pellets/briquettes, I'd be particularly interested in hearing from you.
I'm not looking to take advance orders or make unrealistic promises at this stage.
In fact, my thinking is the opposite:
If I can find genuine users before commissioning, I'd rather understand their requirements first and build the product/operating model around real demand.
For the initial customers, I am also prepared to keep the pricing very transparent and as close to actual production + reasonable margin as possible, rather than trying to maximise margin from day one.
If you're a boiler/furnace operator, procurement person, factory owner, biomass trader, or someone who has actually run biomass fuel in an industrial setup, I'd genuinely value your experience.
Even if you think this business model has a problem I'm overlooking, please tell me.
I'm still at the stage where honest criticism can save me a lot of money — so I'd much rather hear it now than after commissioning the plant.