Paulownia energy crop plantation in Spain
RWE Innogy Iberia, the subsidiary of RWE Innogy on the Iberian Peninsula, is operating its first energy crop plantation in Villamartín, close to Cádiz in Spain. On the 235 ha field more than 390,000 plants of Paulownia have been cultivated in 2009. The Paulownia is a fast growing tree species, which has the ability to coppice and is therefore suitable for the use on fuel-wood plantations. A soil preparation is required before planting to ensure a good plant-root ability of the soil. In addition, an efficient drip irrigation system is installed to supply the plants with enough water. The trees are planted in a spacing of 2x3 meters in order to produce a maximum increment of biomass in short growth cycles. The Paulownia tree can reach a size of up to five meters in only two years of increment.
The energy crop plantation in Villamartin was established to secure a part of the feedstock supply for a planned 10 megawatt power plant project in the area of Lebrija, Andalusia. The plantation is currently the largest surface of Paulownia Short Rotation Coppices that has been cultivated in Spain.
Figures
| Plantation scheme: | 2m x 3m |
| Density: | 1,666 plants / ha |
| Total number of plants: | 390,000 plants |
| Expected average yield: | 33 t absolute dry mass per hectare and year |
| Expected tonnage: | 7,800 tadm/y (10% of the needed feedstock) |
| Plantation lifetime: | 21 years = 7 cycles of harvest * 3 year rotation |
RWE Innogy Iberia plans to have further 800 hectares of energy crops established in the south of spain and is looking for landowners, who would like to rent their fields on a long term basis to RWE Innogy Iberia.
If you are interested, please contact us.
Energy crop plantation in Spain 
Paulownia plant after one year 
