BioMatNet Item: FAIR-CT97-3826 - Development of a bioenergy market development plan for central Europe

FAIR-CT97-3826
Development of a bioenergy market development plan for central Europe

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Agricultural Residues : FAIR Area 1.1 - Biomass and Bioenergy Chain : Solid Biofuels : Straw : Wood (Lignocellulose)

	Proposal No:	FAIR-CT97-3826
	Date Prepared:	November 2000, May 1999
	Source:	Final Report Executive Summary Progress Report

Final Report Executive Summary

Progress Report

Introduction The overall main aims of this Concerted Action for the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC, including the Baltic States) are:

to develop cost-effective routes for utilisation of agricultural & forestral residues
to enhance the integration of research, development and implementation activities on agricultural & forestral residues, and energy crops in CEEC
to improve the access to existing information on the whole chain of agricultural & forestry residues as well as energy crops production, processing and utilisation
to develop a strong market EC development strategy for bioenergy in CEEC
to involve the parties in CEEC involved in biomass production, processing and utilisation in the European Energy Crops InterNetwork (EECI-Network)

Objectives These overall aims were translated into the following project objectives:

to develop standardised formats for presentation of agricultural, technical, environmental, economic and institutional aspects of the production, processing and utilisation of biomass for energy purposes in comprehensive national reports
to disseminate the current scientific and practical achievements on biomass energy per country in the CEEC and West Europe
to bring together representatives of the agricultural, energy, environmental and governmental sector from both West Europe and the CEEC at the EC Bioenergy Conference in Würtzburg, Germany (1998) as well as at the First EC Bioenergy Market Strategy conference for CEEC in Budapest (1999)
to establish sustainable research and co-operation relationships between currently existing West European Biomass Energy Networks, research institutes, agricultural organisations, energy companies and national governments, and through this a transfer of knowledge and know-how from West to East and vice versa
to stimulate removal of structural and country specific agricultural, technical bottle-necks for large-scale implementation
to involve the new CEEC-partners into the very comprehensive and structured InterNetwork web-sites of the EECI-Network, in which up-to-date scientific and practical achievements from the network members are presented
to further develop environmental sound bioenergy markets in CEEC
to develop new initiatives on pilot and demonstration project on energy crops production, processing and utilisation in C&E Europe and the Baltic Countries
to position and strongly improve the competitiveness of West European organisations and firms (manufacturers, R&D institutions, consultants) active in the whole field of bioenergy in CEEC

Activities The first meeting of the group was held back so as to coincide with an EC Conference on 'Renewable Energy Technologies and Strategies in Central and Eastern European Countries' which was scheduled for October 1998 at Sophia Antipolis, France. The production of 10 draft country reports has been initiated, providing information on biomass energy production, harvesting, processing and utilisation in Albania, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. These reports have been subsequently refined and modified in the light of the dialogue at and following the first meeting.

The project topic co-ordinators for technology, energy, agriculture and finance have reviewed these reports and provided feedback and input to participants enabling the preliminary work for development of draft market strategies to be initiated and further activity on this phase of the work is now proceeding.

With this project being in its first year, results available for dissemination are not yet fully developed. However, an EC survey form asking for quantitative outputs has been distributed.

Future actions The EECI-Network operated by BTG will be converted into the European BioEnergy InterNetwork (EUBIO-Network) by the end of August 1999. BTG will establish a web-site about the project on its server and will also establish pages on the EUBIO-Network. The project partners will also be further encouraged to provide information that will be suitable for web site presentation. Based upon the inputs derived for this Interim Progress Report, there will now be further detailed attention to production of an EC Bioenergy Strategy Plan. It is intended that this Bioenergy Strategy Plan, which is the major overall output of the project, will be presented before the end of the project at an International Conference on Bioenergy. The venue, yet to be selected, will be a Central European country and the event will need to be held before mid-2000. Individual country strategy statements, which have in most cases now been outlined in the draft country reports, would also be presented at such an event.