Wales Leads European Biomass Push

A new European Union renewable energy expected to be published tomorrow will contain binding targets for biomass energy production for each member nation as outlined in a draft proposal.  This has a great deal of implications for the biomass industry, including pushing the construction of the world’s largest biomass plant in Wales.
Thomas Siegmund, spokesperson of the German Bioenergy Association, commented that,”The future of biomass, especially bioheat, looks very promising if this directive becomes law.”
Recent figures show that primary energy production from solid biomass has increased in Europe by 5.3% from 2005 to 2006 to a new level of 64.2 million tones of oil equivalent (Mtoe).
Biomass currently comprises 4% of the EU’s energy production.  However, the goal of the EU Biomass Action Plan of 2005 is to double that by 2010.
Siegmund commented that the new EU directive would strengthen the obligation of member states to use more renewable sources and also use carbon dioxide mitigation calculations to make biomass a more financially compelling solution.
The new 350-megawatt (MW) wood chip fuelled electricity generating plant in Port Talbot, south Wales, will supply electricity to around 587,000 homes.  This is about half the households in Wales.  It will launch operations at the beginning of 2010.
The plant will contribute about 70 percent to the Welsh Assembly’s target of generating 4 Terawatt hours of renewable electricity for Wales by 2010 and 7 Terawatt hours by 2020.