In terms of resource accessibility, it seems more reasonable to
select a power plant with a lower capacity, assuring the existence of
enough local biomass to supply its demand. Moreover, the adverse
effects that economies of scale may play in a project with a smaller
size should also be considered. Taking the proposed location for the
plant as a starting point, the results of this study indicate, for a 30 km
radius supply, a biomass availability of 28,000 dry t/year, about 63%
of the total biomass available in the region, and enough quantity to
supply a power plant with a capacity up to 3 MW. The energy produced
by this power plant would represent between 10 and 15% of
the electricity consumed yearly in Portalegre municipality.
29%). Unlike other regions, there are no alternative biomass sources
in Alto Alentejo (for example, industries associated with the
transformation of fibrous materials into paper pulp) and therefore
one can assume that a large share of the biomass consumed in the
power plant would result directly from forest and agriculture
exploitation, suggesting an oversizing of the plant capacity.
(see Fig. 8).