Driving Defossilisation: Bioenergy Europe at the Biocarbon Summit 2024

Bioenergy Europe took part in the Biocarbon Summit 2024, an annual event organized by Hawkins Wright. Held in Amsterdam on December 3rd-4th, the summit brought together industry leaders to explore the transformative potential of lignocellulosic biomass in defossilise heavy industry and transportation.

Clear and harmonized policies are essential to maximizing bioenergy’s role in Europe’s decarbonization efforts, as emphasized by Irene di Padua, Policy Director at Bioenergy Europe, during her presentation on key EU regulations. Bioenergy Europe highlighted the importance of tailoring the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) to local realities. While sustainability criteria remain critical for securing financial support, the transposition of the cascading use principle is currently underway at the national level.

Bioenergy plays a dual role in decarbonizing the EU economy: it not only provides a renewable energy solution but also facilitates carbon removals. Within the framework of the EU ETS, sustainable biomass is considered carbon neutral and contributes significantly to emissions reduction. Regarding the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation, Irene outlined the four certification criteria and explained how this voluntary framework aims to promote high-quality carbon removals across the EU.

Attendees were also updated on the latest developments related to the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), noting that its entry into force will grant market actors an additional year to comply with the new requirements.

In conclusion, Bioenergy Europe highlighted the necessity of well-defined and pragmatic policies to enable biomass to support Europe’s defossilisation efforts, reaffirming its essential role in shaping the future of sustainable energy.