WPAC welcomes ‘not perfect’ REDIII deal, thanks partnerships

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) is welcoming news of the European Parliament’s deal on the EU Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII).

In a message to members, WPAC executive director Gordon Murray said, while not perfect, there is a lot to be appreciated in the deal.

“Many of the points that were better for our sector and supported by the European Council were adopted in the final agreement and the most damaging points proposed by the European Parliament were rejected,” Murray noted.

Original proposals in the deal that were rejected include prohibition on the use of primary biomass and the enforcement of “no go” areas, he said.

Murray noted the RED III development process has highlighted the value of WPAC’s partnerships with Bioenergy Europe as well as with Natural Resources Canada and Global Affairs Canada.

“We have deeply appreciated the work of Bioenergy Europe’s policy team, especially the file lead – policy officer Daniel Reinemann and policy director, Irene di Pauda – who held frequent member meetings to brief us and to seek input on messaging. The Bioenergy Europe team is well connected with the European Parliament and parliamentary committees, the European Council, and was very effective at communicating our sector’s concerns to legislators.”

Murray says WPAC plans to participate in a debriefing meeting with Bioenergy Europe as soon as possible, and will arrange a webinar for WPAC members to update them.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Natural Resources Canada and Global Affairs Canada were members of Bioenergy Europe. Canadian Biomass apologizes for this error.