Scaling bioenergy and carbon removals at the Central European Biomass Conference 2026
Around 1,500 participants from across the world gathered in Graz (Austria) from 21–23 January for the Central European Biomass Conference 2026 (CEBC2026). With science and business side by side, the event reaffirmed bioenergy’s central role in Europe’s renewable energy system, while spotlighting emerging solutions for negative emissions, green carbon and industrial decarbonisation.
CEBC2026 was jointly organised by the Austrian Biomass Association, the Chamber of Agriculture Styria, and Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST), together with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and Montanuniversität Leoben, in cooperation with Messe Congress Graz Betriebsgesellschaft.
A full value-chain programme: from resources to end users
The conference agenda covered the bioenergy value chain end-to-end, from feedstock and conversion technologies to final users and markets. Key themes included:
- Energy supply security and resilient renewable systems
- Circular raw-material supply and biorefineries
- Green gas, biofuels and biochar
- A strong focus on carbon removals and negative emissions, including BECCS
Bioenergy Europe at CEBC2026: “dual strategy” for climate targets and carbon removals
At CEBC2026, Jean-Marc Jossart, Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe, delivered a presentation titled: “Building the dual strategy: Cutting emissions now while scaling BECCS for the future”.
His message linked near-term deployment with long-term climate planning: EU targets are tightening towards climate neutrality, and policy choices will increasingly favour solutions that deliver cost-effective mitigation now while enabling high-integrity removals later.
Jossart pointed to bioenergy’s role in today’s emissions savings, noting that without bioenergy, emissions would be 300 million tonnes of CO₂ higher (about 10% of all emissions). Looking ahead, he stressed that competitiveness will matter even more as public support will probably become scarcer, and markets reward the most efficient pathways. In the future, the bioenergy sector will still have to prove more and more its sustainability.
“CO₂ public costs savings with bioheat, ranging from 10 to 80 eur/t, are unbeatable.” stated Jean-Marc Jossart, Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe, at CEBC2026.
The presentation also highlighted the opportunity to scale bio-based carbon removals through BECCS with political support, positioning this technology as a future pillar alongside rapid emissions cuts today.
Beyond the plenary: excursions, workshops and industry visits
CEBC2026 also offered three technical excursions:
- Biomass pyrolysis and large-scale energy storage
- The district heating network in Weiz-Gleisdorf
- An industry visit to Stahl Donawitz
These were complemented by multiple on-site workshops and meetings, underlining the conference’s role as a practical marketplace for project development and cooperation.
Scientific takeaways: versatile, proven, and security-relevant
In the closing session, Dina Bacovsky, Chair of the Scientific Committee, summarised key conclusions under “Bioenergy Research: Results and Requirements”: bioenergy remains the largest renewable energy source, is versatile across heat, power and transport, can deliver substantial GHG savings when implemented responsibly, improves energy security through diversification, and supports regional value creation via biomass supply chains (with Austria frequently cited as a strong example of coordination between industry and regional policymakers).
