On April 25, 2024, the European Parliament adopted in plenary with 361 votes in favour, 121 against, and 45 abstentions the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), a move that has been welcomed by Bioenergy Europe.
The legislation aims to strengthen the European manufacturing capacity of net-zero technologies and overcome barriers to scaling up the manufacturing capacity in Europe.
This vote is good news for European industry and sets the tone for the next term. To achieve all our economic, climate, and energy ambitions, we need industry in Europe. This Act is the first step to making our market fit for this purpose, said NZIA Rapporteur Christian Ehler MEP (EPP, DE) on the outcome on April 25, 2024.
In a statement, Bioenergy Europe says it is “glad to see that all the technologies used for the production of energy from renewable sources, as defined in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), are included in the definition of net-zero technologies.”
Regrets omission of CDR
By including biomass technologies, the legislator acknowledged the essential role biomass will play in ensuring the energy transition and increasing the resilience of the EU economy.
The European bioenergy sector also welcomes the inclusion of carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) in the definition of net-zero technologies.
This makes it possible for CCS-based removal methods, such as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) to fall within the scope of the regulation.
Nevertheless, Bioenergy Europe regrets that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is not included in the list.
Europe is unquestionably a leader in bioenergy technologies on a worldwide scale. European companies are at the forefront of deploying cutting-edge bioenergy solutions provided by European technology pioneers. This makes bioenergy a local and sustainable solution that can greatly reduce CO2 emissions. It is key for the EU to support the sector to scale up if the Union is to achieve net zero by 2050, said Ennio Prizzi, Bioenergy Europe Policy Officer.
