Biomass energy systems can be employed to meet the requirements of distributed energy systems in rural as well as urban contexts, whether this is an electrification or a microgeneration project. This work is focused on a mathematical programming approach applied to bio-based supply chains that use locally available biomass at or near the point of use in order to produce electricity or other bioproduct. The problem of designing and planning a regional biomass supply chain is formulated as a MO-MILP (multi-objective mixed integer linear program), which takes into account three main objectives: economic, environmental and social criteria. The model supports decision-making about location and capacity of technologies, connectivity between the supply entities, biomass storage periods, matter transportation and biomass utilisation. The advantages of this approach are highlighted by solving a case study of a specific district in Ghana. The aim is to determine the most suitable biomass and electricity network among the different communities. The technology considered to transform the biomass into electricity is gasification combined with a gas engine. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.