Coal exit must not entail support of the false solution of wood bioenergy

The Asia Pacific Regional Biomass Working Group urges the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to cease support for wood bioenergy and the 'repurposing' of coal plants, arguing that biomass co-firing extends the life of coal infrastructure and causes severe ecological and social harm. The group highlights that in Indonesia, PT PLN's co-firing strategy could require 2.33 million hectares of energy plantations, potentially leading to 2.1 million hectares of deforestation annually. The letter demands that ADB recognize bioenergy as contradictory to coal phase-out goals, divest from wood biomass projects, and identify the sector as high-risk.

• The use of woody biomass for energy is characterized as a 'false solution' because burning wood releases as much or more carbon into the atmosphere than burning coal, making claims of emissions 'abatement' misleading.
• The authors argue that 'repurposing' coal plants through biomass co-firing effectively extends the operational life of coal-fired stations rather than accelerating their retirement, which contradicts the goal of a just energy transition.
• In Indonesia, the state-owned PT PLN has implemented co-firing in 32 coal power plant units as of May 2022. To sustain 10 percent co-firing across 52 locations, PLN estimates a need for 8 million tons of biomass from plantations and 900 thousand tons from waste annually.
• Trend Asia estimates that achieving 10 percent co-firing across 107 power plants would require 10.23 million tons of biomass per year, necessitating at least 2.33 million hectares of plantation area and potentially causing 2.1 million hectares of deforestation annually in Indonesia.
• Large-scale bioenergy plantations are linked to adverse impacts on biodiversity, food security, water availability, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including risks of land grabbing.

APA

Trend Asia (2023). Coal exit must not entail support of the false solution of wood bioenergy. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Letter-to-ADB-President-final-version.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. Coal exit must not entail support of the false solution of wood bioenergy. 2023. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Letter-to-ADB-President-final-version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Trend Asia |title=Coal exit must not entail support of the false solution of wood bioenergy |date=19 October 2023 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Letter-to-ADB-President-final-version.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{trendasia2023coal, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{Coal exit must not entail support of the false solution of wood bioenergy}}, publisher = {Trend Asia}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Letter-to-ADB-President-final-version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }