Publications
Mass Imbalance
25 September 2024
How sustainable is the wood burned in EU power plants, which EU taxpayers are paying billions of euros for every year?
The report Mass Imbalance reveals that the EU does not really know, because it cannot know.
The reason? Its sustainability rules for woody biomass are complied with through voluntary, commercial certification schemes that:
- are riddled with conflicts of interest, since auditors are paid by the companies they audit;
- are poorly supervised, when at all;
- do not report information that would enable the European Commission and Member States to enforce compliance.
Many of these problems are structural and derive from unfortunate political compromises in the regulations which set up these rules, especially the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).
The report discusses why the RED’s voluntary certification schemes are not fit for purpose.
Considering the multiple health, market distortion and climate issues caused by public incentives for using woody biomass fuels, we believe fundamental reform is needed. We urge the EU to:
- End incentives for wood burning as a form of renewable energy.
- Use funds to reduce the demand for heat by helping EU residents insulate their homes and to increase the resilience of forests.
Categories: Reports, Bioenergy
Mass Imbalance: Policy-makers' summary (9.41 MB)
Mass Imbalance: Full report (5.83 MB)