Something nasty in the woodshed

The report examines biomass co-firing across Europe, noting that in Finland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, biomass is often used alongside fossil fuels. It argues that subsidies for co-firing can hinder the phase-out of coal and peat, specifically citing cases in Finland and the Netherlands where financial support may extend the lifetimes of fossil-fuel plants.

• In Finland, biomass co-firing is frequently paired with peat, which is described as a dirtier fuel than hard coal or lignite. The country's transition to phase out coal by 2030 may be obstructed if subsidies continue to support co-firing with fossil fuels instead of incentivising alternatives. Approximately 70% of Finland's coal or peat generation occurs in plants co-fired with at least 10% biomass.
• Denmark's co-firing occurs primarily at the Amager, Avedøre, and Fyn power stations. Although these stations have units for both 100% biomass and 100% coal, they are classified as co-firing due to likely cross-subsidies. These stations emitted 2.5MT of CO2 in 2015.
• The Czech Republic is the fourth-largest co-firer in Europe, generating 1.3TWh from co-fired biomass in 2015, a 55% increase from 2008 levels. The Hodonín power station, operated by the CEZ group, is the largest facility.
• In Hungary, the RWE-operated Mátrai Erőmű lignite power plant is the largest supplier of ostensibly renewable energy, co-firing approximately 10% biomass and emitting 6.4MT of CO2 in 2015.
• While co-firing has declined in parts of the EU, the Netherlands is seeing a potential revival. RWE plans to retrofit the Amer 9 and Eemshaven plants to co-fire up to 80% and 15% biomass respectively, supported by Dutch state subsidies of up to €2.6 billion over 8 years. However, a new coalition agreement aims to end biomass co-firing subsidies by 2024.

APA

Ember (2017). Something nasty in the woodshed. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/something-nasty-in-the-woodshed

Chicago

Ember. Something nasty in the woodshed. 2017. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/something-nasty-in-the-woodshed.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Something nasty in the woodshed |date=6 October 2017 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/something-nasty-in-the-woodshed |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2017something, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Something nasty in the woodshed}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/something-nasty-in-the-woodshed}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }