Home News Danish District Heating breathes a sigh of relief: Biomass remains renewable energy.

Danish District Heating breathes a sigh of relief: Biomass remains renewable energy.

by Linda Bertelsen

Danish district heating consumers will avoid billions of bills following the EU agreement on renewable energy. The agreement made last Thursday means that biomass will also count as renewable energy in the future.

– This is very positive because it means that district heating can continue to contribute to the green transition, and it means that many other EU countries can also begin their transition away from coal and gas, says Maria Dahl Hedegaard, consultant in the Danish District Heating Association, for EnergiWatch.

The discussions have focused on the fact that the Parliament, squarely speaking, wanted to divide biomass into two categories: primary and secondary. And the Parliament’s negotiating position was that primary biomass should no longer count as renewable energy.

The EU countries have opposed this because it would mean that it would be difficult for many, including Denmark, to reach their targets for the use of renewable energy. And the EU countries have therefore won some tolerance concerning the revised directive.

– Our calculations show it could cost between DKK 1.6 and 2.7 billion – maybe even more, and there would only be one place to send that bill: to the consumers, says Maria Dahl Hedegaard.

Translated from the Danish District Heating Association