The Green Deal has led the world in addressing the climate emergency, but with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has also become a race to help solve a generational energy crisis.
Breaking the EU’s reliance on, often imported, fossil fuels will require, among other interventions, an unprecedented expansion of renewable energy to be completed in record time. As a result, the European Commission’s newly proposed 2030 target for renewable energy consumption has jumped from 40 percent to 45 percent — more than double today’s share.
Breaking the EU’s reliance on, often imported, fossil fuels will require, among other interventions, an unprecedented expansion of renewable energy to be completed in record time.
There is no margin for error to meet this aggressive target, and the EU cannot afford policies that would reduce existing renewable energy generation, or needlessly limit its use. Yet this is exactly the intention of proposals from the European Parliament to reduce use of sustainable woody biomass, the EU’s leading source of renewable energy. Not only would these proposals have massive and far-reaching negative consequences, they have not been properly assessed by EU institutions, a prerequisite for sound policy making. They also contradict analysis from the European Commission showing the use of bioenergy must increase significantly to meet climate targets.
The need for a rapid energy transition is not in question, but there is widespread skepticism that 45 percent by 2030 is within reach. A report this month from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that although the EU will dramatically expand use of renewables by 2030, it will fall short of its RePowerEU goal with deficits projected “across all sectors”. To illustrate the breadth of the gap, the IEA forecasts that wind power only reaches 60 percent of the new 36 gigawatts (GW) needed. This analysis even includes assumptions of stronger policy support, regulatory reforms and grid expansion.
The need for a rapid energy transition is not in question, but there is widespread skepticism that 45 percent by 2030 is within reach.
“If these problems are not addressed, any updated 2030 renewables target remains academic,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson. “What we need are sound industrial policies for renewables.”
It is clear the EU must achieve as much progress as possible over the next eight years, regardless of agreed targets. By limiting the amount of sustainably sourced woody biomass that can be counted as renewable and removing the ability to subsidize it – even for some of the most advanced applications — Parliament’s proposals would push renewable targets farther out of reach at precisely the wrong moment. It’s time to press the accelerator on sustainable biomass, not slam the brakes.
By limiting the amount of sustainably sourced woody biomass that can be counted as renewable and removing the ability to subsidize it, Parliament’s proposals would push renewable targets farther out of reach.
Accelerating use of sustainable woody biomass will not only be good for the planet, it will bolster energy security, too.
The IEA’s 10-point plan to reduce the EU’s reliance on Russian natural gas underscores that dispatchable low-emission generation from bioenergy can and should be maximized. This was further reiterated in its joint work with the European Climate Foundation, which stated that increasing biomass use in power and heat could offset up to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, amounting to a positive cumulative climate impact of 4 million tons of saved CO2 emissions.
Even today, thousands of European cities and villages in Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy are heated with wood chips from harvest residues making them independent from natural gas. The proposal to stop or reduce this sustainable practice in the current situation seems counterproductive. Harvest residues would decompose within a few years and lead to CO2 emissions. So why not use them?
The use of bioenergy must increase by an average of 69 percent if we are to meet climate targets, particularly for heat and balancing the grid as well as decarbonizing the maritime, aviation and industrial sectors.
While biomass as a share of the EU’s renewable energy will decrease over time as other sources scale up, all models show its use must still increase to meet the EU’s climate targets.
The European Commission’s own impact assessment for the amendment of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) states that the use of bioenergy must increase by an average of 69 percent if we are to meet climate targets, particularly for heat and balancing the grid as well as decarbonizing the maritime, aviation and industrial sectors. Sustainable woody biomass is a key component of this, representing today almost 70 percent of bioenergy use and with margin for growth, as the Commission assessment makes clear,. The arbitrary restrictions proposed by Parliament will make these incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
Arguments made in support of restrictions on biomass — particularly the use of primary woody biomass which is, essentially all low-value wood coming from a harvest — often cite another study from the Commission’s science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC). But the JRC makes no distinction between primary and secondary biomass in terms of sustainability. In fact, all five of the report’s ‘win-win’ scenarios that benefit climate-change mitigation and have a neutral or positive effect on biodiversity include the use of primary woody biomass. The risks associated with the remaining scenarios are all managed by REDII or by proposals for REDIII in both the Commission proposal and Council’s general approach.
There is significant potential to increase supply of woody biomass in a sustainable manner. A Dutch IPCC contributor recently stated that “we could in Europe triple the sustainable availability of biomass compared to the current level over the next decades.” Moreover, 550 scientists and academics credentialed in forestry or related fields, recently sent a letter to European officials calling for climate-smart forestry practices — including wood harvesting for bioenergy — to bolster their resilience to global warming.
Woody biomass is already the most-regulated industry in the forestry and renewable energy sectors. A final agreement on REDIII will include additional provisions to ensure it continues to contribute positive outcomes for the climate and biodiversity. The greatest risk associated with sustainable woody biomass at this moment is that we fail to maximize its use and prevent the European Green Deal from moving from promise to reality. Trilogue negotiations over REDIII must avoid this outcome and ensure the use of sustainable woody biomass can continue to contribute to renewable targets in line with leading models and provide energy security to Europe.
