Dutch emissions regulator Nea will temporarily allow companies in the country to burn renewable energy directive II (RED II)-certified biomass to avoid costs associated with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). This is despite new bloc-wide sustainability rules coming into force last month.
Dutch firms can now continue burning biomass certified under a scheme that meets the previous RED II requirements until 1 January 2026, so long as the scheme is demonstrably awaiting approval for the revised requirements from the European Commission.
The change aims to prevent use of sustainable biomass being "unnecessarily hindered" and prevents companies using RED II biomass from bearing the full cost of CO2 emissions under the ETS, Nea said.
Companies were required to comply with the EU's renewable energy directive III to be considered zero-rated under the EU ETS from 21 May, but many biomass-fuelled plant operators were unable to comply by this date, a letter from EU associations suggested.
