Anhui Province (AHP), a typical agriculture-based province in China, has a significant amount of biomass resources for the development of biomass power plants. By the end of 2016, 23 straw based biomass power plants were established in AHP, aggregating to 6560 MW capacity, which is now ranked second in China. This paper presents the current development status and GHG (Greenhouse Gas) mitigation effect of the straw based biomass power plants in Anhui Province. Total biomass production in 2016 was calculated as 41.84 million tons. Although there is huge biomass potential in AHP, the distribution is heterogeneous with a gradually decreasing trend from north to south. Furthermore, the installed capacity of power generation is also unmatched with the biomass resources. Based on a calculation made in 2016, approximately 3.44 million tons of CO2-eq were mitigated from the biomass power plants in AHP. The large-scale development of biomass power plants remains a challenge for the future, especially in areas of AHP with a low biomass density.
Bioenergy in China: Evaluation of domestic biomass resources and the associated greenhouse gas mitigation potentials
