EUBCE 2023 Marks the Return to Real-World Interaction

(Bioenergy International) ... Over 1 500 delegates from 79 countries convened in Bologna, Italy earlier this week to discuss the use of biomass in a circular and sustainable economy.

The chairwoman of the conference, Isabella de Bari of the Italian Energy Agency ENEA, introduced the position of the EUBCE in exhibiting how “biobased and circular economy strategies can complement decarbonization measures to achieve the climate goal”.

During the opening session, Kadri Simson, the European Commissioner for Energy, stated the European vision of “building an energy system with home-grown renewable energies will be our top priority. We’ll be counting on bioenergy to help us get there”.

Amongst other details, Commissioner Simson also mentioned the “ambitious” EU target to produce 35 billion cubic meters (bcm) of biomethane (aka renewable natural gas – RNG) by 2030.

As the program of the conference is coordinated by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), located in Ispra (VA) in Lombardy, Deputy Director General Salla Saastamoinen emphasized, that “to shape effective policies and to ensure that climate neutrality goes hand in hand with environmental and social sustainability, solid scientific evidence and international cooperation are key”.

The view from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) was brought by James Spaeth, who reported that “the US is in the early stages of an unprecedented investment in clean technologies aimed at creating a Net Zero future by 2050.”

He also expressed that “this year’s EUBCE in Bologna is a great forum for comparing the US’s plans with those in Europe and around the globe”.

From India, Sangita Kasture, Ministry of Science & Technology, presented the main policies and funding opportunities in India for advanced biofuels, renewable energy targets, biofuels, green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), biomanufacturing, and biotechnology, confirming the role of biomass in the largest-population country of the world.

There were numerous industrial companies present to display in the exhibition area not only new machinery for biomass processes but also research and laboratory equipment. Also, space was set aside for showing the current, numerous projects funded by the European Union.

The relevance of the EUBCE for industry and enterprises was best summarized by Marko Janhunen, the Chair of the Advanced Biofuels Coalition who underlined that “European Union Strategic Autonomy calls for a strong recognition and refined vision for circular bioeconomy as an integral part of achieving our climate goals and creating investments worth billions. The European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) in Bologna demonstrates the EU’s capabilities and our leadership in knowledge, innovation, and sustainability. We must now create a proper enabling, not restricting, policy framework to lead us towards the European Union Beyond Fossils.”

The next EUBCE will be held in June 2024 in Marseille, France. In the meantime, participants will have the opportunity to review all the conferences by accessing an online platform which will be available until September 2023. READ MORE