Posted October 1997 From "Biomass energy in ASEAN member
countries", produced by the FAO Regional Wood Energy Development
Programme (RWEDP) in Asia in cooperation with the ASEAN-EC
Energy Management Training Centre and the EC-ASEAN COGEN
Programme (Bangkok, 1997) Biomass is an important source of
energy in Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member
countries and its use is still increasing. In ASEAN, energy from
biomass such as wood and agricultural residues represents about
40% of total energy consumption - more than 2.5 million
Terajoules per year. The bulk is from woodfuels, with an
estimated value of US$ 7 billion per year. Main applications are
in the domestic sector and small-scale industries, but also
increasingly in modern systems for combined heat and power
generation. Managed properly, biomass energy (or bio-energy) can
be sustainable, environmentally benign and economically sound.
Moreover, biomass energy creates substantial local employment.
The advantages are also being recognised in