The European Parliament has once again voted to recognise primary woody biomass as a renewable energy source. This is consistent with its prior classification under both the first Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and RED II.
Primary woody biomass is an essential renewable energy source for meeting the ambition sought by the EU Parliament to increase renewable energy to 45 per cent by 2030, and for achieving the EU’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Today, biomass accounts for almost 60 per cent of renewable energy in Europe.
Markus Pieper, the Member of Parliament leading on RED III, at the press conference held following the results of the plenary said, “We do need wood-based biomass as a source of energy if we genuinely are to undertake this energy transition.”
The Parliament’s vote this week brings its position considerably closer to those of the Council and EU Commission by recognising primary woody biomass as renewable, ensuring its continued zero-carbon rating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, and allowing its use to increase in volume.
“One thing is clear: wood-based biomass is a building block of the energy transition and, despite the vote of left-green Members of the European Parliament, can still be counted as renewable energy. The new directive will set the necessary framework to achieve the greatest possible CO2 reduction effect and not to ensure that our forests are burned in the future,” continued Mr. Pieper in his statement.
The Council and EU Commission have continued their steadfast support for primary woody biomass and for its increased utilisation to deliver climate change benefits and security of energy supply. Today’s vote serves as an initial negotiating position in the European Union’s process. After this vote, the EU Parliament, the Council of the EU, and the EU Commission will begin trilogue discussions, which are negotiations among the three parties, that are estimated to reach a final compromise on RED III in the first half of 2023.
Thomas Meth, President of Enviva Inc, a producer of woody biomass, said heading into trilogues, the EU Parliament brought its position one step closer towards the mainstream views of the Council and the Commission, and away from the earlier minority position taken by the ENVI committee.
“All serious pathways for achieving climate neutrality show that the use of bioenergy must and can be increased sustainably. The EU Commission’s own impact assessment for RED III outlines a need to increase bioenergy use from 2030 to 2050 by an average of 69 per cent to provide vital grid balancing services, high temperature heat for industry, advanced biofuels, and negative emissions.”
“A failure to increase woody biomass use in the EU would mean failure in meeting climate goals, increased cost to EU consumers, and further disruption to security of energy supply on the brink of winter, when bioenergy makes up 25 per cent of European heating supply and when incremental investments in more woody biomass infrastructure are desperately needed,” concluded Meth.