The
European Commission yesterday (25 February) ruled out binding EU-wide
sustainability criteria for biomass, offering member states recommendations for
national action instead.
The European Commission said the wide variety
of biomass feedstocks make it impossible to devise a harmonised scheme, which
would require taking into account their varying potential to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
It also said that the
environmental risks related to domestic biomass production "are currently
low" and do not require specific EU rules.
The question has divided the EU
executive and member states alike. The Commission's environment department,
backed by a group of member states including the UK and the Netherlands,
favoured binding sustainability criteria in order to ensure the environmental
integrity of biomass energy production.
But the Commission's energy and
transport department prevailed, saying no additional environmental safeguards are
necessary. This led to criticism that the EU executive was seeking to reduce
the European Union's dependence on fossil fuels at any cost.
"Biomass is one of the most
important resources for reaching our renewable energy targets.It already
contributes more than half of renewable energy consumption in the EU, providing
a clean, secure and competitive energy resource," said Energy Commissioner
Günther Oettinger.
The report acknowledged
sustainability concernssurrounding biomass production in terms of protecting
the biodiversity of ecosystems and carbon stocks, notably forests. But it
argued that biomass waste and wood-processing residues are by-products that
would be produced anyway, regardless of the energy sector.
Moreover, the paper argued that
deforestation, mainly at global level, and indirect land-use change resulting
from the production of energy crops can lead to a loss of carbon in forests and
soils. However, it considered that these issues are addressed most effectively
at international level and expressed hope that rules governing land use,
land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) will be agreed under a new international
climate agreement.
Nevertheless, the Commission said
it would reassess the situation by the end of 2011 and consider introducing
mandatory measures to address sustainability problems in the event that
land-use change and deforestation issues are not dealt with at international
level.
Voluntary criteria
In the absence of an EU-wide
sustainability scheme, the Commission proposed criteria that member states
could apply voluntarily.
It set out a common methodology
for calculating the greenhouse gas performance of different biomass feedstocks,
to ensure that their use delivers at least 35% greenhouse gas savings, rising
to 50% in 2017 and 60% in 2018 for new installations. However, member states
should not impose greenhouse gas performance criteria on waste, which is
covered by environmental rules laid down in waste legislation.
The report recommended that
biomass should not be sourced from land converted from forest or other areas of
high biodiversity or carbon stock. Member states were also urged to retain
records of the origin of biomass and communicate these to the Commission for
the purposes of monitoring potentially vulnerable areas.
Moreover, the report stated that
member states should use their support schemes for electricity, heating and
cooling installations to provide incentives for making energy conversion more
efficient. It said it would propose minimum efficiency and air quality
requirements for small-scale solid-fuel boilers this year.
Binding EU criteria might be
reconsidered next year. The European Commission will publish a report by 31
December 2011 considering whether additional measures are necessary.
POSITIONS
The
European Biomass Association(
AEBIOM) argued that non-binding
measures provide adequate guarantees on the sustainable use of biomass. It
pointed out that only 24% of energy biomass comes from dedicated biomass from
agriculture and forestry, while the rest are by-products and residues.
"The risks of using unsustainable biomass are low. EU biomass
production is covered already by the existing framework for agriculture,
forestry and environment. These include the cross-compliance rules,
environmental legislation, sustainable forest management practices and
voluntary forest certification schemes," said
Morten
Thoroe, secretary-general of the
Confederation
of European Forest Owners (
CEPF).
The
Confederation of European Paper Industries (
CEPI) regretted that the European
Commission did not go far enough to guarantee that wood is subject to the same
stringent sustainability criteria whether used to produce paper or energy. It
said that a harmonised European scheme would have ensured the functioning of
the internal market for biomass and prevented the need to import
unsustainably-produced biomass from outside the EU.
"The European Commission reportedly states that all policy measures
should aim at creating a sustainable economy. The report published today
clearly demonstrates the need for a coherent EU approach among its policy
areas," said
Teresa Presas, CEPI managing
director. "The
forthcoming EU 2020 strategy should address these inconsistencies."