NGO Joint Statement: Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing

The document argues that Japan's use of biomass co-firing and coal-to-biomass conversion is greenwashing that prolongs the life of inefficient coal plants and destroys forest ecosystems. It highlights that 31 coal-fired units in Japan already co-fire with biomass and that wood pellet imports increased 61-fold over the last decade to 4.41 million tons in 2022. The signatories claim that treating biomass as "carbon neutral" ignores lifecycle emissions and that METI's accounting methods allow inefficient plants to appear efficient. The NGOs urge the Japanese government to exit coal regardless of co-firing, stop supporting biomass power plants using non-waste fuels, and account for biomass combustion emissions at the plant and national levels.

• Biomass co-firing and conversion are rapidly expanding in Japan, with approximately half of the coal-fired power plants of major utilities—31 units—already co-firing with biomass. Additionally, 40 renewable energy feed-in-tariff (FIT) approved biomass projects are located at coal plants, 35 of which are designated as "inefficient" (sub-critical or super-critical).
• The demand for wood pellets has surged, with imports increasing 61-fold over the past ten years to reach approximately 4.41 million tons in 2022. This growth is linked to the FIT program and the promotion of biomass co-firing at coal plants, which have larger capacities than dedicated biomass plants.
• The signatories argue that biomass power generation accelerates climate change because the Japanese government treats it as "carbon neutral," ignoring CO2 emissions from combustion, the release of stored carbon during forest clearing, and GHGs from the transportation of imported pellets.
• The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) uses a formula that deducts biomass inputs from coal inputs, which the NGOs claim allows inefficient coal plants to appear efficient and extends their operational life. An expert estimate suggests that co-firing 5% biomass in a plant with 38% efficiency increases the CO2 emission coefficient from 0.84kg-CO2/kWh to 0.85kg-CO2/kWh, while full conversion to dedicated biomass would result in 1.03 kg-CO2/kWh.
• Large-scale biomass fuel production, primarily imported from North America and Southeast Asia, is linked to deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss. The NGOs state that FIT subsidy guidelines lack clear sustainability standards for woody biomass fuels.
• The signatory NGOs demand that the Japanese government achieve a coal exit regardless of co-firing, cease support for biomass power plants using non-waste fuels, and require that CO2 emissions from biomass combustion be accounted for at both the power plant and national levels.

APA

Jones, S. (2023). NGO Joint Statement: Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing. Mighty Earth. https://mightyearth.org/article/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing/

Chicago

Jones, Sydney. NGO Joint Statement: Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing. Mighty Earth, 2023. https://mightyearth.org/article/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Jones |first1=Sydney |title=NGO Joint Statement: Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing |publisher=Mighty Earth |date=11 April 2023 |url=https://mightyearth.org/article/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{jones2023ngo, author = {Jones, Sydney}, title = {{NGO Joint Statement: Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing}}, publisher = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://mightyearth.org/article/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }