2025 Agenda
1 April 2025
- 09:00 - 09:55
Doors open for main conference day one
- 09:55 - 10:00
Chairperson’s opening remarks
Market pulse: Producers, policies and growth potential
- 10:00 - 10:45
Biomass power industry in Europe: How is biomass helping to meet electricity needs across the continent?
- What is the effect of employing different renewable energy sources on energy production capacity?
- How is the regulatory landscape affecting biomass trade for European utilities and end-users?
- What is the approach of data centers to relying on green electricity – how big of a role can biomass play?Speakers Include:
David Sanderson
Biomass Fuel Contracts ManagerE.ON Business Heat & Power SolutionsChristian Joore
Head of Biomass & FreightVattenfallSamantha Smith
Head of BiomassRenewable Energy AssociationSøren Alsing
Head of Fuel, Bioenergy and Thermal PowerØrsted- 10:45 - 11:15
Argus global market outlook on industrial pellets in 2025
- Balancing markets between net zero 2050 targets and biomass industry concerns
- Where will the next supply come from when the forecast plateaus in 2026 for industrial pellets?
- What is the significance of “added value from biomass through cascading principle”?Speakers Include:
Erisa Senerdem
Editor, BiomassArgus- 11:15 - 11:45
Morning coffee break
- 11:45 - 12:30
How the EUDR and other Sustainability Regulations will impact consumer markets?
- What implications will it have on trade within and with Europe? Is supply going to become expensive?
- Burden of proof – how can producers trace the emissions cycle? What are the mechanisms available?
- How to optimize the business model amidst disruption, inflation, and high cost of supply?Speakers Include:
Helena Carpintero Mansilla
ESG Hub EMEA EUDR CoE LeadPeterson Projects and SolutionsCarsten Huljus
Chief Executive OfficerSustainable Biomass Program (SBP)Peter Kristensen
Director of Bioenergy Sustainability, Orsted- 12:30 - 13:00
Keynote panel: Producer’s perspective on exploring competitive strategies within biomass market beyond 2027
- What are producers' goals post 2027 and how will they reach net zero targets?
- What can producers do to adapt to the regulations and what policy support do they expect from the regulators?
- What does the production capacity look like and what are the big obstacles in the coming months?Speakers Include:
Mait Kaup
Chief Executive OfficerWarmestonErica Edfeldt Wehtje
CTOSolör Bioenergi Holding ABFreddie Staermose
Vice President, Generating Fuels and Dry BulksArgus- 13:00 - 14:30
Women’s networking and lunch
Hear from leading women in business regarding their personal experiences of growth within the market and in business
Samantha Smith
Head of BiomassRenewable Energy AssociationAmparo Arellano Gil
Senior ExpertSUREIrene di Padua
Policy DirectorBioenergy Europe- 14:30 - 15:00
DESNZ on UK's Biomass Strategy 2023 focuses on biomass as a low-carbon energy source
- How has the government actions for strengthening sustainability criteria covering biomass use impacted the industry?
- What are the key challenges that industry faces today and what steps are being taken?
- What are the lessons and plans ahead, how can the industry prepare for it?Speakers Include:
Freddie Staermose
Vice President, Generating Fuels and Dry BulksArgus- 15:00 - 15:30
Heat outlook 2025: Key trends, cost implications and growth potential
- How do we plan to recover from last year's low demand and what are the current driving factors for growth in the sector?
- What are the most pressing concerns and latest innovations to scale up biomass and CHP technologies globally?
- CHP facility: How can this cost-effective technology be optimized to meet global heat and electricity demand?
Exploring and expanding feedstock synergies
- 15:30 - 16:00
Heat treated pellets vs white pellets: What does the market want?
- What are the advantages of torrefied and steam explosion processes to produce advanced pellets?
- Will black pellets ever take over the commercial opportunities of white pellets and how?
- How can we overcome the technological challenges of producing black pellets?Speakers Include:
William Strauss
PresidentFutureMetricsDominique Kuehner
Industry Director, BiofuelAndritzPatrick Lapointe
CCO, Airex EnergyMichael Wild
PresidentInternational Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonization Council IBTC- 16:00 - 16:35
Evening coffee break
- 16:35 - 17:15
Roundtable hour
- Woodchips
- Premium pellets
- Treated pellets
- Certification
- 17:15 - 19:00
Networking reception sponsored by Drax
2 April 2025
- 09:55 - 10:00
Chairperson opening remarks
- 09:00 - 09:55
Doors open for main conference day two
- 10:00 - 10:40
Keynote by Drax
Renewable energy around the world
- 10:40 - 11:15
Spotlight on LATAM: What are the different clean renewable energy sources in the region how to factor in SAF demand?
- Ethanol sourcing to exporting: How to track and prove credibility to meet global standards?
- What is the scope for Latin export of woody biomass residue and what role can it play in the supply of biomass?
- Understanding the increased demand for SAF and carbon removalsSpeakers Include:
Vinicius Ferreira Campos
Commercial DirectorBraspineThais Sousa
Business Development Manager - Fertilizers, Mining and Agriculture, BrazilArgus- 11:15 - 11:45
Morning coffee break
- 11:45 - 12:20
Powerhouses of the Nordics and Baltics: How do the regional market leaders balance production costs and sustainability goals?
- Examining raw material availability, costs, and competition for the woody raw materials from the chemical and biofuels industries
- What do you need to know about the sourcing of wood biomass and the risk of deforestation?
- Next steps: Understand the balance between hydropower and solid biomass use in power and fuel generation?Speakers Include:
Henrik Brodin
Head of Energy TransitionSodraJohan Vinterbäck
Program ManagerSwedish Energy Agency- 12:20 - 13:00
How can you fireproof your feedstocks in biomass storage and handling: A guide
- How to keep from burning down your wood pelleting operation?
- Biomass producer and utility perspectives: What have we learned from the recent fire incidents?
- Is the biomass industry taking sufficient action to prevent future incidents?Speakers Include:
Gordon Murray
Executive DirectorWood Pellet Association of Canada- 12:45 - 14:00
Speed networking and lunch
- 14:00 - 14:45
Global panel discussion: Discovering and diversifying imports and exports across APAC region
- Navigating regulations and trade barriers: How can Europe broker more trade deals with APAC?
- How have the trade flows of biomass into and out of Asia evolved in the past two years?
- How is agri-biomass faring for steel industry and how does it impact the biomass demand and consumption in the region?
Speakers Include:
Fabien Mehu
Head of Biomass & Freight, ENGIEMads Thomsen
Director- Trading, CM BiomassMartin de Wolff
Head of Biofuel TradingRWE
Biotechnology solutions and future
- 14:45 - 15:30
Technology, innovation and finance: Getting to drips with biotechnology trends in 2025
- What investments are required for technologies to fund future solutions?
- What are the breakthroughs in feedstock pre-treatment and processing for the scalability of biomass?
- How can financial institutions better assess the creditworthiness of biomass projects?Speakers Include:
Samantha Smith
Head of BiomassRenewable Energy AssociationJohn Teal
Vice PresidentTSI- 15:30 - 16:15
Evening coffee break
- 14:45 - 15:30
Big debate: How can the industry leaders' view on market movements and mood motivate your business?
- Did we successfully attain the rebranding of the biomass sector?
- What do the fluctuation in consumption patterns, new avenues, stricter regulations and a solemn mood tell us for 2025 and beyond?Speakers Include:
Michael Wild
PresidentInternational Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonization Council IBTCChristian Rakos
PresidentWorld Bioenergy AssociationManolis Karampinis
Director- Business Development & MembershipBioenergy Europe
- 16:45 - 17:00
Closing remarks
- 17:00
Awards ceremony and drinks reception
Judged by an expert panel of industry leaders, winners will be announced at the exclusive awards ceremony on 2 April at the Argus Biomass Conference (1-3 April, QEII Centre, London, UK).
3 April 2025
- 09:00 - 09:50
Doors open
- 09:50 - 10:00
Chairperson’s opening remarks
Scaling CCUS and BECCS towards net-negative
- 10:00 - 10:45
Case study: What will it take for BECCS to become a commercial game-changer?
- How and when will these projects become commercially viable? Are there alternatives to bridge the gap until then?
- Understanding and tracking future biomass procurement strategies
- How can BECCS create value through carbon credits and what impact will it have on the financial viability of traditional biomass operations?Speakers Include:
Dominic Rassool
Senior Business Development Lead – EuropeGlobal CCS InstituteAdam Nye
VP Global Carbon MarketsArgus- 10:45 - 11:30
Morning coffee break
- 11:30 - 12:00
Unravelling industrial carbon removals and storage policies
- What policy inputs do we need for biomass power assets looking for alternatives?
- How do the policies – EU ETS, CDR, CRCF and RED III interact and what are the key takeaways?
- What is the long-term viability of CCUS-powered biomass in achieving net-zero emissions?Speakers Include:
Katarzyna (Kasia) Wilk
Head of Public Affairs and Policy, EU and Asia Head of Public Affairs and Policy, EU and Asia,Drax GroupHenrietta Moon
Co-Founder and CEOCarbo CultureIrene di Padua
Policy DirectorBioenergy Europe
Green feedstocks and low-carbon biomass future
- 12:00 - 12:45
Keynote panel on hard-to-abate industries: How can biocarbon production bridge the gap and sustain the supply chain?
- Are steel, aluminum, cement and other decarbonizing sectors looking for compliance carbon markets?
- The promise of green steel: With increased consumer demand and investments, how can we ensure the process and result is entirely sustainable?
- How does the efficiency and feasibility of biocarbon, and biochar compare to other sources of energy?- 12:45 - 14:00
Speed networking and lunch
- 14:00 - 14:30
What role can biochar and biocarbon play in decarbonizing sectors while sequestrating carbon?
- In the context of net zero targets due in 2050, are sectors rapidly moving from pellets to biochar?
- From procuring high-quality, sustainable raw material to certifying and validating biocarbon, what are the real time projects and challenges?
- Who’s certifying such projects? What should the producer and end-user know about the life cycle of the project?Speakers Include:
Tobias Brink
Head of Business DevelopmentEnvigasHinako Yoshida
TraderHanwa Co., LtdMichael Wild
PresidentInternational Biomass Torrefaction and Carbonization Council IBTC- 14:30 - 15:00
Agri biomass landscape: How can agricultural biomass close the loop for a sustainable bioeconomy?
- Understanding the scope of agricultural residue for advanced uses of power generation and sustainable biofuels
- What are the sustainable feedstocks available and what are the challenges in procuring them?
- Which industries are off-taking such sources?Speakers Include:
André Paula Santos
Head of EU PolicyNuseedAmparo Arellano Gil
Senior ExpertSURE- 15:00
Close of conference
Leading technology providers showcase cutting edge solutions in biomass and carbon for industries facing decarbonisation challenges.
1 April
- 10:45
Drax showcase video on BECCS – carbon removals at world-changing scales
- Negative emissions essential for fighting the climate crisis
- Clean economic growth — preserving and creating jobs
- Reliable renewable electricity to support the grid as more wind and solar are connected- 13:00
Women in biomass networking
- 16:00
Commercialising biomass technologies with higher CO2 reductions
2 April
- 11:15
Unlocking traceability solutions by Control Union
- 13:00
Global Energy Transition – An equipment supplier perspective
- 13:30
Power generation by Engie
3 April
- 10:45
Heating solutions and torrefaction