Website: ec.europa.eu/energy/res/biomass_action_plan/index_en.htm

Presentation by Tom Howes, European Commission, Directorate General for Energy and Transport (91 Kb PDF)

On 7 December 2005, the Commission adopted an action plan designed to increase the use of energy from forestry, agriculture and waste materials.

Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Energy, said, “This plan will cut greenhouse gas emissions, protect jobs in rural areas and reduce Europe’s dependence on imported energy. The measures in favour of transport biofuels, in particular, are a practical response to the problem of high oil prices.”

The plan builds on existing Community measures to create a market for renewable energy – the biofuels directive and the directive on renewable energy in electricity generation. It announces more than 20 actions, mostly for 2006. They include:

• promotion of “biofuels obligations”, through which suppliers include a minimum proportion of transport biofuels in the fuel they place on the market;
• a balanced approach to trade in transport biofuels, ensuring that market opportunities benefit both domestic producers and imports – including those from least developed countries;
• support for developing countries that want to produce and use transport biofuels;
• examining how biofuel use could count towards CO₂ emission targets for car fleets;
• reporting on how certificates could be used to ensure minimum standards of cultivation for the raw materials used to make transport biofuels;
• investment in research in “2nd generation” biofuels, making liquid fuels out of wood and waste materials;
• work towards a proposal for Community legislation to encourage the use of renewable energy in heating (the missing piece of the jigsaw alongside existing legislation on renewable energy in transport and electricity)
• reviews of how fuel standards could be improved to encourage the use of biomass for transport, heating and electricity generation;
• a campaign to inform farmers and forest owners about energy crops.

The Commission will bring forward a second communication, dealing specifically with biofuels, early in 2006.

Background

One of the main energy policy targets of the EU is to double the share of the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in gross inland consumption, from 5.4 % in 1997 up to 12.0% by 2010.  Various legislative actions have been undertaken in order to facilitate this target the most important of which are:

• to promote the  renewable electricity generation by increasing the production from 14.0 % in 1997 up to 21,0 % by 2010 for EU 25 corresponded to 22.1% for EU 15 (Directive 2001/77/EC).
• to promote  the  biofuels for transport applications by replacing diesel and petrol  up to 5.75% by 2010 (Directive 2003/30 EC) with the accompanying detaxation of biofuels (modification of the taxation of energy products and electricity directive 2003/96/EC)  

The Communication on The share of renewable energy in the EU (COM(2004) 366 final) concluded that further efforts - in particular in the biomass sector - are needed in order to achieve the above policy objective. If both targets for RES-e and biofuels market penetration are achieved, it will lead to a 10% general share of renewable energy in the EU. However, under current trends only 18-19% of the RES-E target will be achieved.

In 2001, total biomass production for energy purposes was 56 Mtoe. To achieve the RES 12% target 74 Mtoe more are needed by 2010. Each sector has to contribute the following indicative additional amount of biomass energy: electricity 32 Mtoe, heat 24 Mtoe, and biofuels 18 Mtoe. This would lead to a total biomass accumulated energy production of 130 Mtoe in 2010.

This additional biomass production can only be achieved in the short term with strong and targeted measures and actions in all three sectors (electricity, heat, and biofuels for transport) and a better coordination of EU policies. The Community Biomass Action Plan shall ensure the achievement of this objective.