Better Biomass update
2024-01-19
We hereby inform you about a number of current developments.
Acceptance for IR 2022/996
After a number of assessment and adjustment rounds at the end of 2023, we received notice in (early) January that Better Biomass has been accepted by the EC for the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/996 on rules to verify sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria and low indirect land-use change-risk criteria of June 14, 2022. This implementing regulation is a supplement to the REDII (Directive (EU) 2018/2001).
This does not yet include recognition for forest biomass criteria, Article 29(6) and 29(7) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001. The updates required for this will now be addressed as quickly as possible. Approval has been granted for the draft versions of the new scheme documents. The necessary steps will be taken in the near future to complete the revision of the Better Biomass scheme documents. This will still take some time. We will keep you informed as best as possible and a transition period will apply after publication, so that there is sufficient time for the new version to be applied.
Approval for RCVB
In December, the following additional scheme documents were submitted to RVO for approval in the context of the de Regeling conformiteitsbeoordeling vaste biomassa voor energietoepassingen (RCVB). At the end of December we received notice that this additional approval had taken place. This decision will be published in the Staatscourant.
This concerns the following documents:
- Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on reducing woody residual flows.
- Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on Bone Meal.
- Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on Acceptance of other schemes
Onboarding Union Database for Biofuels
The European Commission, as required by RED 2, is setting up a Union Database (UDB) to ensure transparency and traceability of renewable fuels. The intention is that certificate holders who supply renewable fuels for transport will book their biomass transactions here. (so only suppliers of transport fuels!)
All Better Biomass certificate holders within the scope of the UDB have had their certificate data uploaded to the UDB. As these are all biogas producers, no initial stock registration is yet required nor accounting for their transactions from January 1, 2024. This will only start after the technical links between the UDB and the respective national registers of Guarantees of Origin (GOs) will have been achieved. So we are waiting for a connection with VertiCer, among others. Until then, no transactions need to be recorded in the UDB for gaseous biofuels. We await further instructions on the implementation of the UDB for gaseous biofuel producers.