40+ companies and organizations are calling on the European Parliament to enable efficient and circular use of woody biomass residual flows.
Heating accounts for 50% of energy demand in the EU and 42% of this is supplied by natural gas. The current energy crisis has led to massive increases in energy prices and exposed the vulnerabilities associated with dependence on fossil fuel imports. In this perspective, the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) has taken on a new dimension: it is not only about putting the EU on track to achieve a 2030% reduction in carbon emissions by 55, but also about the introduction of local, clean and renewable heating sources and solutions.
District heating and cooling (DHC) is part of the solution to achieve large natural gas savings in the short term1, and a robust low-carbon heating trajectory towards 2050. It uses both local renewable heat and sustainable excess heat from industrial and urban sources, to supply clean and affordable heat to households and industries.
Local and sustainable bioenergy accounts for 27% of the European DHC supply. The importance of bioenergy is not limited to the heating and cooling sector: bioenergy and in particular woody biomass is Europe's most prominent local and sustainable energy source, representing 10% of the total energy we consume2, with more than 96 % of biomass is produced domestically. Sustainable bioenergy contributes to the decarbonization of our energy system, but is also an important resource to ensure Europe's energy independence, given the drastic and unprecedented energy shortage.
In the context of the trilogue negotiations on REDIII, more than 40 organizations and companies issued a statement on November 10 expressing their deep concern about the European Parliament's proposal to introduce a new definition of “primary woody biomass” and the limitations associated with its use.
Source: https://www.euroheat.org/
