German Day on Biomass at the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition in Berlin

6 May 2011– The German Day on Biomass will take place in Berlin, Germany, on the occasion of the 19th European Biomass Conference (6-10 June 2011) and Exhibition (6-9 June 2011). On Thursday, 9 June 2011, crucial questions on the challenges of biomass in the different fields of biomass end use in Germany will be addressed during this parallel event.

Germany contributes in a decisive way to the field of biomass application in the energy sector. The application of biomass as well in different fields beyond the energy sector gets more and more into the focus of research and development. The German Day on Biomass, imbedded in the official Conference Programme, offers informative and critical presentations to the state-of-the-art of biomass application in Germany. It provides the platform for discussion about the chances and the risks of biomass applied in the energy sector.

The topics of the German Day on Biomass include:

- Biomass use in Germany – a successful story

- Potentials of Biomass under sustainable point of views

- Biomass production – chances and risks

- Social-economical aspects of Biomass use

- Ecological aspects of Biomass use like biodiversity, water, landscape etc.

- New lines of Biomass use like white Biotech and fibers

- EU-Political Targets today and in future

The European Biomass Conference provides the unique opportunity to join a deep dialogue with members of the global scientific and industrial Biomass sector. The participation in the German Day on Biomass is free of charge but the registration, which also includes access to the Exhibition area, is required.

For registration and more information on the German Day on Biomass, please visit the website:

http://www.conference-biomass.com/Ge...ass.815.0.htmlGerman Day on Biomass.815.0.html

Your contact for this parallel event is Dr. Alexa K. Lutzenberger, alexa.lutzenberger@leuphana.de

Event Background of the EU BC&E

For over 30 years now, the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (European BC&E) has combined a very renowned international Scientific Conference with an Industry Exhibition. Since 2007 the Conference and Exhibition takes place every year. The European BC&E is held at different venues throughout Europe and ranks on top of the world's leading events in the Biomass sector.

In the five days of the European BC&E, scientists, industry community, institutions, investors, public authorities will be invited to discuss the most current developments in the biomass sector. The Technical Programme is coordinated by the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre.

The scientific programme of the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition plans more than 800 presentations in plenary, oral and visual sessions on the following themes:

Biomass conversion technologies for heating, electricity and chemicals

Processes for fuels from Biomass

Biomass markets

Biomass policies and sustainability

The international Exhibition that takes place in parallel with the Conference offers the possibility to network with the most important companies in the biomass sector, to update the latest innovations and to create business opportunities with new ideas and strategies.

This event is supported by European and international organizations such as the European Commission, BMU the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Natural Sciences Sector, WCRE - the World Council for Renewable Energy, EUBIA - the European Biomass Industry Association, the German programme Biomass energy use and other organisations.

The 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition is realized by WIP-Renewable Energies with the international support of ETA-Florence Renewable Energies and the scientific support of the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre.@leuphana.de> ■

19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition

Vattenfall: “Biomass is vital for any strategy for efficient CO2 emission reduction”; plans to increase its use 5 fold by 2015 and 10 fold by 2020

Vattenfall: “sustainability is not a niche to have but it is a precondition for business”

IEA: The incremental costs of advanced biofuels production compared to fossil fuels will be in the range of only +/- 1 % of total fuel cost spending in the next forty years.

Berlin, 7 June 2011 – Vattenfall has the ambition to reduce its CO2 emissions from the current 90 million tons per year to 65 million tons by 2020 and the use of biomass is a corner stone of Vattenfall’s strategy to achieve this target, indeed the company’s growth plan foresees a 5 fold increase in the use of biomass by 2015 and a 10 fold increase by 2020.

Speaking at the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Hans Dieter Hermes, director of business development at Vattenfall, presented the company’s vision for the future use of biomass in its power plants and at world level. “The question is not whether there is enough biomass to cover the future demand, but rather where in the world is the biomass that can be sustainably used”, said Hermes, showing how according to recent reports the world’s biomass potential for 2020 is 3 times larger than the expected biomass demand for electricity. Indeed “sustainability is not a niche to have but it is a precondition for business” said Hermes, announcing an agreement recently signed between Vattenfall and the Senate of Berlin for using only sustainably sourced biomass.

Even though the current economic competitiveness of biomass is still negative in comparison to coal in absence of support measures, in the future the combined cost of coal plus CO2 emission rights is poised to increase whereas the cost of biomass supply will decrease; this is one of the reasons that supports the company’s long term biomass strategy. However in this moment a stable and reliable framework of public support is still fundamental to sustain this transition to a low carbon electricity supply. Biomass co-firing at 10% in coal power plants would mean 30 TWh per year of renewable electricity and could contribute to reduce over 30 million tons of CO2 emissions per year only in Germany.

IEA Technology Roadmap for Biofuels

The IEA Technology Roadmap for Biofuels sees a scenario of biofuels accounting for one quarter of world’s transport fuels by 2050 going from a share of 2% today. Speaking at the 19th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, Anselm Eisentraut, International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted some of the key findings of the recently published IEA Technology Roadmap for Biofuels.

In the IEA scenario biofuels can avoid 2.1 gigatonnes of GHG emissions from the transport sector globally by 2050; by that time non-OECD countries would account for 70% of total global biofuel consumption, this means that trade will be vital to supply biomass and fuels to regions with strong demand. Advanced biofuels will be necessary to support this growing demand, though they are expected to reach cost parity with fossil fuels only in 2030. However, even with higher production costs the incremental costs compared to the fossil fuels will be in the range of only +/- 1 % of total fuel cost spending in the next forty years.

Land requirements for biofuels would see an increase from 30 million hectares today to 100 million hectares in 2050, in addition to 1 billion tons of residues. The pressure on land to supply 32 exajoules of biofuel in 2050, could be mitigated through implementing low risk options for feedstock production such as use of residues and waste, and the promotion of biomass cascading and biorefineries. The report recommends adopting internationally aligned sustainability criteria for biofuels but also highlights that sustainability issues are relevant to the whole agricultural sector so in the long term all agricultural and forestry products should be certified.

In his concluding remarks Eisentraut recommended that a stable long term policy framework is essential for biofuels that links economic incentives to the sustainability performance of biofuels.

Event Background of the EU BC&E

For over 30 years now, the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (European BC&E) has combined a very renowned international Scientific Conference with an Industry Exhibition. Since 2007 the Conference and Exhibition takes place every year. The European BC&E is held at different venues throughout Europe and ranks on top of the world's leading events in the Biomass sector.

This event is supported by European and international organizations such as the European Commission, BMU the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Natural Sciences Sector, WCRE - the World Council for Renewable Energy, EUBIA - the European Biomass Industry Association, the German biomass energy use programme and other organisations. The Conference is co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety based on an act of the German Parliament in the framework of the National Climate Initiative.

The 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition is organised by WIP-Renewable Energies with the international support of ETA-Florence Renewable Energies and the scientific support of the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre.

ETA-Florence Renewable Energies

Catherina Bernaschina, Email: ressoffice@etaflorence.it>pressoffice@etaflorence.it

Phone: +39 055 500 22 80, Fax: +39 055 57 34 25■

Multiple investment and cooperation opportunities in advanced bioenergy projects promoted by Canadian delegation and trade mission attract European business at the 19th EU BC&E

Berlin, 8 June 2011 - A Canadian delegation took part in the 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition organising multiple activities for the promotion of business to business relationships and cooperation among Canadian biomass and bioenergy producers and European organisations and investors.

On 6 June, a trade mission organised by Douglas Bradley, President of the Canadian Bioenergy Association, brought 10 Canadian executives with a multitude of lucrative bioenergy projects looking for investment partnerships to a special business-to-business session.

Projects offered ran from small to large scale including biorefineries from canola seeds, pyrolysis oil and char from wood residues, a technology that produces densified, energy-rich wood pellets and biodiesel under the same roof, and a uniquely efficient torrefaction process. Also participating was the Forest Products Association of Canada looking for partners to participate in transforming the forest sector from traditional commodity products into biorefineries. Furthermore a “bio-trade equity fund” was proposed that would invest not only in biomass conversion plants worldwide, but also in associated supply chains such as shipping port loading and storage facilities, thereby reducing the risk of investing in any one component in the system, and making long distance biomass transportation more competitive. This fund would be an ideal mechanism to enable large quantities of biomass imports to Europe to promote achieving renewable energy targets.

To complete the mission the Canadian Embassy in Berlin sponsored a Canada Biomass Business Breakfast on June 7, to promote Canada as an investment destination, and in order to provide further networking opportunities. Speakers included Thomas Marr and Hendrik Taulin of the Canadian Embassy, Isabelle Des Chnes of the Forest Products Association of Canada, Gordon Murray, Executive Director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, and Douglas Bradley, President of the Canadian Bioenergy Association. The session presented various aspects of the current and future use of the country’s abundant biomass resources to an audience of about 60 international companies and research organisations. Canada has currently 150 million hectares certified for biomass, the largest area in the world, next to that the sector has committed itself to increase traceability and to achieve carbon neutrality in 2015 while at the same time filling gaps in protected areas’ networks. The Canadian mission rose awareness for the variety of business, innovation and investment opportunities in Canada’s Biomass sector and look forward to developing partnerships between Europe and Canada

Event Background of the EU BC&E

For over 30 years, the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (European BC&E) has combined a very renowned international Scientific Conference with an Industry Exhibition. Since 2007 the Conference and Exhibition takes place every year. The European BC&E is held at different venues throughout Europe and ranks on top of the world's leading events in the Biomass sector.

This event is supported by European and international organizations such as the European Commission, BMU the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Natural Sciences Sector, WCRE - the World Council for Renewable Energy, EUBIA - the European Biomass Industry Association, the German biomass energy use programme and other organisations. The Conference is co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety based on an act of the German Parliament in the framework of the National Climate Initiative.

The 19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition is organised by WIP-Renewable Energies with the international support of ETA-Florence Renewable Energies and the scientific support of the European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre.

ETA-Florence Renewable Energies

Catherina Bernaschina

Email: pressoffice@etaflorence.it

Phone: +39 055 500 22 80, Fax: +39 055 57 34 25 ■