Bioenergy Eurresponds to an Argos study in defense of biomass

A pioneering sector in establishing and respecting strict sustainability criteria in its supply chain, bioenergy has become the only energy source legally affected by mandatory sustainability criteria, something that is not found in an equivalent way in any other energy, material or food product, and that automatically places it in the spotlight of the analysis that may arise from the REDII implemented by the EurCommunity that will begin to be taken into account in mid-2021.

Bearing extraordinary guarantees in the use of biomass as an energy source for eurcitizens, the sector welcomed these criteria with satisfaction and responsibility from the outset, as they consolidated the role of bioenergy in mitigating climate change and conveyed peace of mind to users and investors.

However, after the presentation of the study “Money to Burn” eur journalists and news agencies and promoted by Argos, a collaboration between Human and VPro, the various associations have felt the need to clarify and deny certain claims promulgated by the former.

The EU endorses the use of sustainably sourced wood biomass as a renewable energy source.
Firstly, the REDII (European Network for Renewable Energy) considers wood biomass a renewable energy source, both that derived from wood industry waste and that obtained directly from forestry operations. This is because Eur has rigorous controls in place regarding the supply of wood and biomass to industry, ensuring its sustainability.

The use of bioenergy does not lead to deforestation. In fact, it contributes to the opposite.

In forests, trees grow that are too small, deformed, or diseased to be used by the wood processing industries, but which can be used to generate energy sustainably.

The president of AVEBIOM, Javier Díaz, believes that removing these trees "is absolutely necessary to maintain forest areas in optimal conservation conditions, to continuously store and sequester carbon, and to reduce the volume of fuel that could facilitate or aggravate the dreaded forest fires or pests.".

The forestry sector is clear that allocating low-value trees to generate renewable energy that replaces fossil fuels allows for the financing of part of the work to improve eurforests in the medium and long term.

According to the latest FAO figures, the area of eurforests has increased by 47% since 1990: in the last 30 years, forest cover has expanded by 482,000 hectares annually. This is equivalent to 1.3 football fields per minute.

The bioenergy sector is an example of a circular bioeconomy.
Furthermore, the bioenergy industry is part of a highly complex value chain with strong links to forestry activities. In this sense, the bioenergy sector is an example of an effective bioeconomy, generating environmental and socioeconomic benefits in rural areas.

The use of biomass has increased over the last few decades thanks to the more efficient use of waste and by-products from the forestry industries.

One fact that some eurbroadcasters and lobbies are unaware of is that the percentage of wood used for energy purposes has remained stable over time: the use of firewood in inefficient equipment has evolved in a few years to a modern use of standardized biomass in automated and highly efficient equipment.

Emissions from fossil fuels are far more harmful to the climate than those from biomass.
Third, the fundamental difference between the two energy sources is the carbon cycle. While burning fossil fuels introduces additional carbon into the atmosphere that cannot be fully absorbed by natural sinks, emissions from burning biomass from sustainably managed forests are offset by the regrowth of the trees where the fuel was produced.

Some newspaper articles suggest that forest waste should be left on the ground to decompose slowly, which is absurd, since the CO2 will end up in the atmosphere anyway and will not replace the harmful emissions generated by fossil fuels.

The importance of biomass in the energy transition in the EU28
Finally, biomass is the largest source of renewable energy in Eur : it currently provides 60% of all renewable energy consumption in the EU, which represents 10.3% of total energy consumption.

It is indispensable in the transition away from fossil fuels in the electricity and heating sectors: in 2018, bioenergy in the EU28 recorded 310 MtCO2 eq in emissions savings, equivalent to around 7% of GHG emissions in that year.

Oversimplifying scientific knowledge and disinformation campaigns such as “Money to Burn” regarding such a complex value chain will not only have a detrimental effect on the sector, but also on the EU’s current effort to phase out fossil fuels.