The use of solid biomass for power generation achieves significant carbon savings and an immediate or very rapid contribution to climate change mitigation can be observed, when assumptions and real data from the field are used for modeling forest carbon dynamics.
These are the main findings of the report “Forest Sustainability and Carbon Balance of EU Importation of North American Forest Biomass for Bioenergy Production” presented yesterday by Bridging with Biomass, a coalition of North American and European wood pellet producers and published by AEBIOM, the European Biomass Association.
The report focuses on the Southeast region of the United States and British Columbia in Canada, the main supply regions that are exporting increasing volumes of wood pellets to EU, but its findings can be equally applied to European-produced pellets, says the coalition.
The study highlights that solid biomass is produced mainly from forests which are managed under a multi-products approac,h where the main feedstock used are by-products such as tree tops and limbs left over after harvest, sawmill residues and low quality roundwood that doesn’t meet the standards for lumber processing. Moreover these countries have strict national rules and regulations in force which ensure a sustainable management of their forests.
The coalition calls on the European Commission to take the study’s conclusions into account for the future policy agenda to ensure a stable legal framework and facilitate the long-term investment needed for the sector to continue playing its essential role in decarbonizing Europe’s energy supply.
The full report is available here
Notes: The report was prepared by the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM), the BC Bioenergy Network (BCBN), the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), with the collaboration of Drax, GDF SUEZ / Laborelec, Essent NV, E.ON Climate & Renewables, the Danish Energy Association and Vattenfall AB.
The Coalition Bridging with Biomass brings together the European Industrial Pellet Suppliers (EIPS), the U.S Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC).
