ITRE Committee Meeting

The Industry Research, and Energy Committee met on Monday (26 September) to discuss the REPowerEU and REDIV. The rapporteur for both REDIV and REDIII, Markus Pieper (EPP, DE) expressed an interest in having them being negotiated in the same trilogue so there is a possibility that the two Commission proposals will be merged in practice. Nils Torvalds (RE, FI) also again the rapporteur in the ENVI committee for REDIV as he was for REDIII, also spoke saying that although it is important that Europe makes sure it reaches its targets, it must also make sure it safeguards sustainability. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.  

WG Domestic Heating

During last week’s meeting of the Working Group Domestic Heating, participants shared their views on current and future development of the pellet market including market prices. Further, the current state of play of some key files for the DH sector (including RED, EED, EPBD and the EU energy labelling and ecodesign legislation) were presented and discussed. Slides and minutes are available. For more information, please contact Irene di Padua.

ITRE Committee Hearing

The Industry Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) will hold a hearing the proposal modifying the Renewable Energy Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive, and the European Performance of Buildings Directive on Monday 26 September. Amendments to the proposal must be tabled by Tuesday, 27 September. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the Parliament’s website. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.   

Council’s First Draft on REPowerEU Directive Revision

Bioenergy Europe obtained the leak of the Council’s compromise on the text revising the directives on renewables (RED), energy efficiency (EED) and the energy performance of buildings (EPBD). The text marginally modifies the definition of “preferred renewable areas” and “go-to areas”. According to the compromise, these areas where the installation of renewable energy is facilitated do not apply to hydroelectric power stations on top of biomass combustion plants. For more information, please contact Ennio Prizzi.

First LULUCF Trilogue

The first Trilogue meeting between the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission on the Land-Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation was held on 5 September. A 4-column document without the status of the current negotiations is available on the Council’s website showing the differences in the positions. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.  

Joint Letter with other RES Associations

Bioenergy Europe signed a letter to Executive Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioners Simson and Marija Gabriel along with ten other renewable associations calling for the Innovation Fund to recognise that renewables must displace fossil fuels. The ‘clean tech manufacturing’ and ‘mid-sized & highly innovative’ windows are particularly important for renewables and should receive more attention in the third call. For more information, please contact Irene di Padua.

REDIII Compromise Amendments

In the negotiations for the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII), new compromises have been agreed upon by the rapporteur, Markus Pieper (EPP, DE) and the rapporteur for opinion in the ENVI Committee, Nils Torvalds (Renew, FI). These compromises will be voted on during the European Parliament’s full plenary session next week. Despite showing some improvements, these proposals are still problematic for us and major restrictions on primary woody biomass remain. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.  

European Conference Biomass PowerON 2022

Registration is now open for the 4th edition of the European Conference Biomass PowerON! Taking place in Hamburg, Germany on 28-29 September, it will feature companies, commodity traders, energy consultancies, regulatory and research experts, and will focus on biomass in residential heating and power generation. Bioenergy Europe will be represented by Ennio Prizzi. Download the full agenda with all speakers here.

New Report on Bioenergy by IRENA

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published the report Bioenergy for the Transition: Ensuring Sustainability and Overcoming Barriers. The report explores the multiple opportunities of sustainable biomass and highlights the importance of this renewable energy in the current European mix, stressing the key role that modern bioenergy will play in the EU27’s energy transition and that developing it is crucial to meeting the 2050 targets. For more information, please contact Jérémie Geelen.