Possible restrictions in the EU's revised renewables directive on use of bioenergy from "primary woody biomass" remain a major concern for industry association Bioenergy Europe.
Negotiators for the European Parliament and EU member states have yet to agree a final text for the bloc's updated renewables directive (REDIII).
Bioenergy Europe is "very concerned" about parliament's ideas on restricting use of "primary woody biomass". The best hope to have these restrictions not taken up in ongoing revision of the EU's renewables direction (REDIII) is having "very strong objections" from EU countries, Bioenergy Europe policy officer Daniel Reinemann said .
"We don't see the added sustainability benefits. It would create a lot of additional confusion, administration and burden," Reinemann said today.
Parliament, not EU member states, is pushing for exclusion of primary woody biomass. Reinemann sees other issues as the negotiators for parliament and EU member states discuss the final text of the revised renewables directive.
"In the parliament's proposal, there was also an idea to have a cap based on certain amount of biomass that would be permissible in terms of the recently revised land use, land-use change and forestry (Lulucf) regulation."
Biomass from sustainably managed forests is "essential" for EU climate and energy security policies, but a majority in the European Parliament is against extension of biomass consumption, said Austrian member of the European Parliament Simone Schmiedtbauer.
"Restricting the expansion of our largest source of renewable energy, a cap on the use of forest biomass would be the wrong signal," Schmiedtbauer told delegates at the European Bioenergy Future 2022 conference held by industry association Bioenergy Europe in Brussels on 22-23 November.
"We are in a minority position [on biomass]," said Schmiedtbauer, herself a member of parliament's largest political group, the centre right EPP. She "very much" hopes negotiations over final legal texts settling revision of the EU's renewables directive will be more favourable to the biomass industry thanks to input from EU member states.
Schmiedtbauer specifically referenced the exclusion by parliament's environment and energy committees of specific technologies — notably biomass combustion or small hydro with a maximum capacity of 10MW — from easier permitting rules in "go-to" renewable areas.
The parliament wants to keep counting all forms of biomass for energy — including primary woody biomass — as renewable for the EU's 2030 target. But it is at the same time calling for a cap on the share of primary woody biomass at 2017-22 levels with no financial support for primary woody biomass.
Bioenergy Europe also pointed to uncertainty for firms demonstrating compliance with the current renewables directive's sustainability criteria (REDII) owing to various countries not yet transposing EU rules into national law.
