The energy crisis leads to a rush on firewood pellets in France

"While the installations of stoves or boilers running on wood pellets continue at a steady pace, the current demand for wood pellets is abnormally high", alarmed in a press release the FF3C which has 300 pellet distributors on the Metropolitan France.

If this trend continues, the FF3C does not rule out arriving at "a supply deficit of 5% to 15%", depending on the severity of the winter.

"Fears of energy shortages are worrying consumers who are stocking up and rushing to buy wood pellets before winter," a spokesperson told AFP.

In this context of tensions over supplies, which are driving up prices, "distribution could be prioritized to ensure deliveries to regular customers, particularly those for whom wood pellets are the only source of heating", continues the federation.

The profession also recommends that consumers “defer new installation projects that have not yet been completed” and “not to make any online order payments before delivery if they do not know their supplier”.

The volume market for wood pellets, which was 1,8 million tonnes in the winter of 2020/21 and 2 million tonnes last winter, is estimated at 2,4 million tonnes for the winter next, according to figures provided by the FF3C.