WG Pellet Meeting

On November 24, the WG Pellet meeting took place. It was held partly on-sight in Brussels and partly online. The presentation is available here. For more information, please contact Gilles Gauthier.

International Energy Agency releases Renewables 2021 Report

Today, the IEA released the Renewables 2021 Report, which is the IEA’s primary analysis on the sector, based on current policies and market developments. It forecasts the deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity, transport and heat to 2026 while also exploring key challenges to the industry and identifying barriers to faster growth. The report forecasts a strong growth of biofuels by 2026, since the demand is constantly rising, despite rising prices and a huge decline caused by the pandemic in 2020. Read the Press Release and Executive Summary here.

Energy Council Meeting

The Energy Council has planned its final meeting of the year for Thursday, 2 December. The Slovenian presidency may present on the progress report for REDIII following the first reading, but the progress report may only be released after the meeting. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.

Letter addressing CEEAG

Following the leak of the interservice version of the Climate, Energy and Environmental Aid Guidelines (CEEAG), Bioenergy Europe’s Secretariat has sent an official letter addressed to the Heads of Cabinets (Commissionaires for Energy, Climate, Environment and Competition) which expresses the sector’s concerns related to this file. A similar letter was sent to national associations, kindly requesting them to co-sign it and forward it to their respective national administrations. After having sent the letter, the Secretariat had a meeting with officials from DG ENER expressing concerns for the sector. For more information, please contact Michal Dlugosz.

BBE Event Sustainability in Wood Energy

The German Bioenergy Association BBE will organise together with the German Saw and Wood industry DeSH a seminar on Sustainability in Wood Energy on 7 December. This seminar aims to shed light on the requirements of the REDII sustainability criteria and their implementation in Germany as well as the implementation of the EU ETS. Our Policy Officer Daniel Reinemann will give a presentation on the current REDII implementation status in Europe. More information and registration. The event will be in German.

The Italian bioenergy sector signs its Bioenergy Manifesto

On 29 October, twelve Italian associations representing the bioenergy sector signed a Bioenergy Manifesto urging the national government to take the necessary measures to reinforce the role of biomass in the NECP, ensure long-term perspectives for market operators and investors, as well as promote effective use of bioenergy in the energy mix and foster the deployment of innovative solutions.

Updated Council Conclusion on EU Forest Strategy

Bioenergy Europe obtained a new final draft version of the Council Conclusion on the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030. The conclusions and its annex are likely to be approved in the next AGRIFISH Council meeting scheduled for the 15 November. The final draft is similar to many of the earlier versions and maintains a critical stance of the Commission’s EU Forest Strategy. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.

Upcoming Meeting of REDII Sustainability Committee

The REDII Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids and Biomass Fuels will meet on 18 November. The Committee is for Member States to give feedback on the operationalisation of the REDII sustainability criteria. The agenda for the meeting includes the Commission’s draft Implementing Act on rules to verify sustainability criteria. If there is a positive response from Member States, this could mean that the voluntary scheme standards will soon be official. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.  

COP26 event: Sustainable bioenergy at heart of net zero

On Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 November, the World Bioenergy Association will host a series of events during COP26 to explore the role of sustainable bioenergy in delivering global net zero. For the full programme and registration link, please visit the event’s website.