Overall goals and project goals Northern Central Sweden is a distinct forest region with great potential to develop highly refined products using wood as raw material. Increased environmental requirements and the development of sustainable alternatives in a number of sectors create new opportunities. Taking advantage of potential and opportunities requires well-developed collaboration in long value chains. Value chains that are new to the existing forest industry. An upcoming implementation project aims to promote technology solutions and ideas for the production of biofuels/decreased carbon dioxide emissions, and to permanently establish a new value chain for the forest industry – a functioning local supply chain in Värmland – within the biofuel area. The implementation project is expected to profile Värmland as a competence platform for renewable fuels in aerospace and road transport and business-driven climate and environmental development. The overall goal of the feasibility study is that it will investigate the commercial and technical conditions for a future large-scale investment in the production of biofuels in Värmland. The project will investigate suitable process techniques linked to the region’s preconditions and raw material resources. The feasibility study shall gather stakeholders, map the local supply chain and identify which functions are missing in such a value chain (missing links) and thereby create a basis for any establishment processes. Description of the project’s working methods and activities The project works with ongoing information efforts about the initiative to draw attention and attract prospective stakeholders. The project also works extensively with evaluations of business conditions, available technologies and processes for the production of biofuels*, raw material access, etc. Evaluation is done with the help of existing stakeholder networks, and with the support of external expertise. During the feasibility study, a stakeholder collaboration will be initiated and a basis for the formation of a suitable project association will be developed. The results of the feasibility study are collected in a decision basis, with a project and funding plan for continued development activities. * The preliminary study will, among other things, investigate possible technology choices, to find the production technology and method best suited to the region’s conditions (natural resources and existing companies and processes). In recent years, interest in lignin has increased as a potential raw material for the production of biofuels in a refinery process similar to that of crude oil. Lignin is a complex polymer of aromatic alcohols that is part of plant cell walls and is one of the main components of wood. Taking out lignin and using it for biofuels creates a similar synergy that already exists between the pulp industry and the refinery industry when it comes to pine oil, but the resource is considerably greater. How regional business is to participate in the implementation A cohesive value chain for the production of biofuels involves close cooperation between Paper Province as a leading business cluster in forest bioeconomy, Karlstad Airport and a number of actors in the process industry, transport industry, aerospace industry, research institutes and consultants in biofuels. The initiative is also expected to attract new business establishments, primarily linked to technology development and large-scale production of biofuels. During the feasibility study, a number of companies and industry/business organisations will participate, in investigations, technical analyses, industry analyses, etc. Examples include SkyNRG, COWI, Bergvik Skog, LRF, Sveaskog, Nina Innovation, SP, Innventia, and Valmet and others. Expected long term effects The project is only a pre-study. However, Värmland is seen to have good opportunities to establish a platform for biojet fuel with knowledge and experience throughout the value chain linked to a number of actors both nationally and internationally.