Biomass

A renewable energy source with great potential

Biomass is the third most important renewable energy source in the European energy mix, after hydro and wind. It is also, alongside wind power, the fastest growing form of renewable energy.

Vattenfall currently has more than 40 heat and power plants fuelled in full or in part by biomass. Every year Vattenfall uses more than 3 million tonnes of biomass, an amount that is steadily increasing. Vattenfall is one of the world’s leading companies in the sector.

Unlike fossil fuels, combustion of biomass does not contribute to the greenhouse effect in the long run. When biomass fuels are burned, the quantity of carbon dioxide released is the same as the amount the plants consumed during their lifetime. One exception is peat, which when burned, is regarded as a net contributor to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

However, the climate impact of peat is considerably less than that of fossil fuels. Since biomass can be burned together with coal in coal-fired power plants, it is an effective way of rapidly reducing CO₂ emissions. In countries that obtain a high proportion of their electricity from coal, a major increase in co-combustion can make a significant contribution towards meeting national targets for renewable energy.

Biomass fuels currently account for about 1% of the world’s electricity generation. In the EU, biomass fuels provide just under 3% of electricity generation and around 11% of heat consumption.

At present, Vattenfall runs several major biomass projects. In Germany Vattenfall has plans for biomass power plants in Berlin and Hamburg. In the Netherlands projects are planned to increase the amount of biomass co-firing in the coal-fired plants in Amsterdam and Buggenum. In Poland, biomass consumption will amount to 400,000 tonnes by 2013.

Of the biomass used by Vattenfall, more than 60% consists of domestic and industrial waste which otherwise would not be used. By-products from the forest industry account for 30%, while the remainder is primarily made up of by-products from agriculture.

Increasing the share of biomass in the energy mix will require increased production of energy crops and energy forests as well as an increase in international trade in biomass. Vattenfall is therefore working throughout the entire value chain, from tree planting to power plants.