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

The document argues that Japan's use of biomass co-firing in coal plants and the conversion of these plants to dedicated biomass facilities is 'greenwashing'. It claims these practices accelerate climate change by emitting CO2 and prolonging the life of inefficient coal plants, while simultaneously driving deforestation and biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia and North America to meet the rising demand for wood pellets.

• Biomass power generation in Japan is inaccurately labeled as 'carbon neutral' despite emitting large amounts of CO2 during combustion and throughout its lifecycle, including harvesting, processing, and transportation of imported wood pellets.
• The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) uses a formula that deducts biomass inputs from coal inputs, which allows inefficient coal power plants to appear efficient and extend their operational lifespan.
• Biomass co-firing and conversion can increase CO2 emission coefficients; for example, a plant with 38% efficiency co-firing 5% biomass is estimated to increase from 0.84kg-CO2/kWh to 0.85kg-CO2/kWh, while full conversion to dedicated biomass combustion could reach 1.03 kg-CO2/kWh.
• The rapid increase in biomass power generation in Japan has led to a 61-fold increase in wood pellet imports over the last decade, reaching approximately 4.41 million tons in 2022, which increases pressure for deforestation and biodiversity loss in North America and Southeast Asia.

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} }