The European Parliament yesterday (14 September) took its position on two important files for the bioenergy sector: the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). Primary woody biomass is an essential renewable energy source to meet the EU Parliament's ambition to increase renewable energy to 2030 percent by 45, and to reach the EU's carbon neutrality target by 2050.
Markus Pieper, MEP for RED III: “One thing is clear: wood-based biomass is a building block of the energy transition and can still be counted as renewable energy.”
Enviva, one of the world's leading producers of sustainably produced woody biomass, welcomed the appointment, saying it is a crucial step in the right direction towards more low-carbon, drop-in alternatives to fossil fuels for power and heat generation, as part of an all-in renewable energy strategy to reduce CO2 emissions and limit global dependence on fossil fuels.
Bioenergy Europe welcomes the adoption of the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) by the European Parliament. However, the new definition of primary woody biomass still raises some concerns.
Bioenergy Europe said the lack of support for primary woody biomass was “worrying” – “this new measure will make bioenergy from primary woody biomass the only renewable source ineligible for support, creating an uneven playing field with other solutions , and this is unacceptable.”
“Succeeding in the energy transition and becoming more energy independent is only possible if we do not restrict renewable energy for the wrong reasons. Decision makers should trust more scientific evidence. Primary biomass comes from sustainable forest management practices that are needed to help our forests cope with challenging climate pressures,” says Jean-Marc Jossart, Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe.
Limiting the use of a renewable source such as bioenergy contradicts the European Commission's ambitions to increase renewable energy sources and meet their ambitious climate targets. This impacts the entire supply chain, starting with forest owners who rely on the income they receive from the bioenergy sector to continue managing their forests in a sustainable way. Without management, forests would come under even more pressure from the changing climate, leaving them with little time to adapt on their own.
Commenting on the vote, Irene di Padua, Policy Director of Bioenergy Europe, said: “Today's outcome is a clear signal that biomass is and will remain part of the EU's renewable energy future, and we welcome this. The proposal to exclude primary woody biomass from renewable energy sources would have been a missed opportunity, as primary woody biomass represents 20% of the total renewable energy mix in the EU. Given the effects it would have, not only on timber-related sectors, but also on energy security for the entire EU, this would have been a very worrying outcome.”
Source: bioenergy-news.com / Bioenergy Europe
