The Vattenfall subsidiary Energy Crops has planted around 2000 hectares of short rotation plantations to grow wood chips for regenerative heat and power rotation.
Since 2010 it has cultivated the sites in Poland and Germany mainly with poplars, in co-operation with over 100 farmers.
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These areas can be harvested every three to four years.
A total of 1.3 million hectares in Germany are potentially suitable for the management of short rotation plantations and could thus provide 60 to 75TWh of heating.
That corresponds to 11% of the arable land.