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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) is hosting the hybrid conference Seeing the wood for the trees: possible implications of REDIII on renewable energy development & EU energy security. The event will take place in Brussels and online on 7 September, 12:30-14:00 CEST and will hear views from the forestry, policymaking, academic and analyst communities on the potential impact which REDIII could have on EU biomass – and in turn renewable energy markets. Registration is open; find more information on Euractiv’s website.
The Commission has opened a public consultation to gather the views of all relevant stakeholders on how to assess the state of forests, monitor them and develop strategic visions. This will also include more detailed information with a view to conducting a thorough impact assessment and developing the proposal. Feedback can be provided until 17 November (midnight, Brussels time). For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.
In light of the upcoming plenary vote in September on the sustainability criteria for bioenergy in REDIII, the Secretariat has prepared an updated version of Bioenergy Europe’s REDIII position. The purpose of the paper is to clearly explain Bioenergy Europe’s views on the RED revision, and members are encouraged to use the arguments found in this paper in their activities when meeting with policymakers. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.
