The government has today announced that legal requirements for so-called sustainable biomass will be part of the first climate action plan. The EU's updated renewable energy directive also requires that such a requirement be implemented in Danish legislation by June 2021 at the latest. But it is encouraging that climate minister Dan Jørgensen promises that the Danish legal requirements will be stricter than the directive's, which would be a step backwards compared to the industry agreement from 2014.

"The renewable energy directive's so-called sustainability criteria for biomass are completely inadequate. In Denmark, we have invested heavily in biomass burning, and we are one of the most biomass-consuming countries in the EU per capita. We have an obligation to take the lead and clarify what responsible criteria for biomass should look like,” says Annika Lund Gade, project worker at the Green Transition Denmark

Yesterday, the Energy Agency presented an analysis of Denmark's consumption of biomass. This shows, among other things, that Denmark's consumption of biomass can increase CO2 emissions abroad if the importing country does not have binding climate targets, or if forestry etc. (the so-called LULUCF sector) is not included. The analysis mentions Russia and the USA as examples, from which around a quarter of Denmark's imported biomass is obtained. This should be resolved in the upcoming legal requirements.

Danish biomass consumption has grown strongly in recent years. Solid biomass now accounts for 64% of Denmark's renewable energy. Since the year 2000, the import of wood pellets has increased from around 2000 TJ to 52,000 TJ. The Climate Minister does not believe that there are currently sufficient alternatives to burning biomass, but alternatives such as heat pumps, solar heating, geothermal energy, excess heat, heat storage and energy efficiency have great potential.

Green Transition Denmark proposes that a plan be drawn up for the phasing out of biomass burning by 2040 at the latest - taking into account the depreciation of existing plants. In the future, major renovations of cogeneration plants must involve conversion to the mentioned alternatives. And only where it is absolutely necessary, you can supplement with biomass in the short term to supply heat on the coldest days. Finally, biomass burning must be taxed – both for district heating supply and private wood burning. Such a tax reflects the price of the health, climate and biodiversity effects caused by burning.

"Taxes are the most cost-effective means of phasing out biomass. It is important that the taxes are highest on private heating units, which cause the greatest damage to health and socio-economic costs," says Kåre Press-Kristensen, senior adviser at the Green Transition Denmark