ÖBMV sets up an information and arbitration board for sustainability certification – 2024-03-09 15:54:46

With RED III, a new wave of bureaucracy is rolling towards system operators

Vienna (OTS) – From a fuel heat output of 20 MW, system operators who use biomass must prove that the wood used comes from sustainable production. 200 companies have now carried out sustainability certifications according to the RED II standard, and another 100 will follow in the next few months. 16 certification bodies are currently active in Austria. With the introduction of RED III, the size threshold for the obligation to provide evidence will be reduced from 20 to 7.5 MW and numerous new criteria will be implemented. “While we should be concerned with implementing the energy transition and overcoming the energy crisis, system operators, traders and producers, who are already subject to the strict Austrian Forestry Act and high funding requirements, are forced to prove compliance with the law with complex certification systems. A double track that, in its current version, is inhibiting the energy transition, causing legal uncertainty and slowing down sustainable management instead of promoting it,” explains Franz Titschenbacher, President of the Austrian Biomass Association.

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) issued by the European Union is constantly being revised and must be implemented by the nation states. Ministerial responsibility falls to the Climate Protection and Agriculture Ministries, which in turn have commissioned the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Forest Research Center to oversee implementation. The certification systems themselves are approved and supervised by the EU Commission. “The jungle of skills alone shows the challenge we face. In addition, there are different national implementations that must be compatible with each other. With the implementation of RED III, we need a significantly simplified implementation here. Sustainably produced biomass that is legally controlled in Austria must also be recognized as sustainable by the EU Commission – even without paperwork,” demands Titschenbacher.

The Austrian Biomass Association will set up an information and arbitration center for participating companies, certification bodies and systems, and will collect and prepare current information on the topic. In addition to the information on the homepage, information events are held and the broadest possible positions on practical solutions are developed. A separate area with basic information and frequently asked questions on the topic has been set up on the homepage. “It is important to have a common platform for the bioenergy industry and raw material producers, participating certification systems, certifiers, authorities and commissioned bodies. We have therefore decided to implement this as an information and arbitration body. We invite all affected companies, associations and responsible bodies to get involved in order to work towards a practical RED III implementation,” said Titschenbacher. Inquiries on the topic can now be sent to arbitration board@biomasseverband.at be provided. Affected companies can also request a newsletter on the subject of sustainability certification at this email address.

Questions & Contact:

Austrian Biomass Association
Antonio Fuljetic-Kristan
+43 (0)1 533 07 97 – 31, 0660 855 6804
fuljetic@biomasseverband.at