Alternatives for co-firing biomass in coal plant

CE Delft has been commissioned by the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment (Natuur & Milieu) and energy company Eneco to:

• investigate whether there are alternatives for biomass co-firing that have not yet been agreed to under the Energy Agreement;
• calculate the subsidy costs and other impacts of such alternatives for the Netherlands.

This study shows that there are indeed alternatives for co-firing biomass in coal plant. For the period 2016-2020 the following two alternative scenarios are deemed realistic:

1. A package comprising four renewable energy options, in which half the 25 PJ is implemented by greening the electricity market and half by greening the heat market. More specifically: an additional 700 MW wind farm, 0.6 Gigawatt peak capacity (GWp) solar, 7.5 PJ industrial bio-steam and 5 PJ biomass for district heating.
2. The second alternative scenario involves converting the Amer 8 power plant in Noord-Brabant to burn 100% biomass. This would likewise secure the 25 PJ ‘renewables’ target.