Playing With Fire

The report identifies 67 planned coal-to-biomass projects in the EU that could increase biomass consumption by 607 PJ per year, potentially tripling the current levels of biomass burnt in coal power plants. This expansion would require approximately 36 million tonnes of wood pellets annually, which is similar to current global production. The authors argue that these projects are expensive, rely on public subsidies, and risk accelerating climate change because the CO2 emitted during combustion is not reabsorbed quickly enough to meet Paris Agreement targets. The report highlights that five countries—Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands—are responsible for most of this potential growth, with the Netherlands accounting for 25%.

• Proposed coal-to-biomass projects in the EU could increase annual biomass consumption by 607 petajoules (PJ), which is equivalent to five new Drax power stations and approximately 50% of current biomass consumption in all power and heating plants.
• If all proposed projects are realized, biomass burnt in current and former coal power plants could triple compared to current levels, reaching 981 PJ (including projects that started in 2018).
• Meeting this demand would require 36 million tonnes (MT) of wood pellets annually, a volume similar to current global production. Sourcing this from the U.S. south would require cutting down approximately 2,700km2 of forest every year, equivalent to half of Germany's Black Forest or most of the forest in the Netherlands.
• The identified projects would produce 64 TWh of electricity, representing less than 2% of the EU's total electricity production, while requiring significant public subsidies.
• Burning biomass in these projects would emit approximately 67 MT of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to half of the annual emissions from Poland's coal power stations.
• The report identified 67 coal-to-biomass projects, but a small number of operators and projects dominate the potential growth: five companies (RWE, EDP España, ESB Group, Riverstone, and Vattenfall) are responsible for over half of the potential increase, and just 10 projects account for over half of the total potential biomass burn.
• Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands account for over 70% of the potential growth in biomass use in coal plants, with the Netherlands alone representing 25%.

APA

Ember (n.d.). Playing With Fire. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2019/12/Ember-Playing-With-Fire-2019.pdf

Chicago

Ember. Playing With Fire. n.d. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2019/12/Ember-Playing-With-Fire-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Playing With Fire |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2019/12/Ember-Playing-With-Fire-2019.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{emberndplaying, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Playing With Fire}}, institution = {Ember}, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2019/12/Ember-Playing-With-Fire-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }