Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing —Biomass accelerates climate change and destroys forest ecosystems

A joint statement by 90 environmental NGOs argues that the co-firing of biomass in coal power plants and the conversion of coal plants to dedicated biomass plants in Japan constitute 'greenwashing'. The signatories claim these practices accelerate climate change by emitting CO2 and destroy forest ecosystems through increased demand for imported wood pellets.

• Biomass co-firing and conversion are expanding rapidly in Japan, with approximately half of the coal-fired power plants of major utilities (31 units) currently co-firing with biomass. Additionally, 40 renewable energy feed-in-tariff (FIT) approved biomass projects are located at coal plants, 35 of which are classified as 'inefficient' (super-critical or sub-critical).
• The demand for wood pellets in Japan has grown significantly, with imports increasing 61-fold over the last ten years to reach approximately 4.41 million tons in 2022. The document asserts that this demand places an additional burden on forests.
• The signatories argue that biomass power generation accelerates climate change because the Japanese government treats it as 'carbon neutral' and ignores CO2 emissions from combustion, despite the carbon emission coefficient of wood being higher than that of coal. They further claim that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) uses a formula that deducts biomass inputs from coal inputs, which allows inefficient coal plants to appear efficient and extends their operational life.
• Biomass fuel production is linked to the destruction of forest ecosystems, particularly in North America and Southeast Asia, where most woody biomass for large-scale generation is imported from. The document cites reports of primary forests in North America being cleared for woody biomass fuels and claims that the FIT subsidy program lacks clear sustainability standards for woody biomass.

APA

TrendAsia (2023). Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing —Biomass accelerates climate change and destroys forest ecosystems. Trend Asia. https://trendasia.org/en/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing-biomass-accelerates-climate-change-and-destroys-forest/

Chicago

TrendAsia. Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing —Biomass accelerates climate change and destroys forest ecosystems. Trend Asia, 2023. https://trendasia.org/en/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing-biomass-accelerates-climate-change-and-destroys-forest/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=TrendAsia |title=Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing —Biomass accelerates climate change and destroys forest ecosystems |publisher=Trend Asia |date=11 April 2023 |url=https://trendasia.org/en/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing-biomass-accelerates-climate-change-and-destroys-forest/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{trendasia2023cofiring, author = {TrendAsia}, title = {{Co-firing of Biomass in Coal Plants or Conversion of Coal Power Plants to Dedicated Biomass Power Plants is Greenwashing —Biomass accelerates climate change and destroys forest ecosystems}}, publisher = {Trend Asia}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://trendasia.org/en/ngo-joint-statement-co-firing-of-biomass-in-coal-plants-or-conversion-of-coal-power-plants-to-dedicated-biomass-power-plants-is-greenwashing-biomass-accelerates-climate-change-and-destroys-forest/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }