Image: VOLKER Weihbold
Wood, which comes directly from the forest and is burned, is still one of the renewable energy sources. The EU Parliament and the Council of Member States have agreed on this. This means that the funding pots are also open – provided that no high-quality trunks are burned. There are also restrictions for biomass combined heat and power plants with more than 7.5 megawatts.
As reported, conservative parties and forest countries such as Austria had exerted pressure to maintain the status quo. The EU Commission and the Greens had called for severe restrictions on biomass. “The creditability of biomass as a renewable energy source is a prerequisite for the success of the Green Deal,” says Angelika Winzig, VP delegation head in the EU Parliament. “The intervention from Upper Austria has paid off,” said Governor Thomas Stelzer and Minister for Agriculture Michaela Langer-Weninger (both VP). The Biomass Association speaks of “investment security in biomass plants”.
Overall, the new directive stipulates that the share of renewable sources in energy consumption in the EU should increase from 22 to 42.5 percent by 2030. Previously, the target was 32 percent. France suffered a setback: nuclear power is not generally considered to be renewable energy.
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