Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the New Sustainability Criteria for Agriculture and Forest Biomass under the Recast of the Renewable Energy Directive

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED I, 2009) was revised in 2018 (RED II). RED I already covered sustainability criteria for biofuels and other bioliquids, i.e. greenhouse gas reduction thresholds and the protection of areas with high biodiversity value, areas with high carbon stock and peatland. The recast now covers all types of bioenergy and adopted some of the sustainability criteria. For agricultural biomass, criteria on (i) soil carbon when using crop residues and (ii) the protection of highly biodiverse forest and other wooded land have been added. For forest biomass, new criteria on (iii) forest management and (iv) land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) have been developed. The project provides the European Commission with scientific and technical assistance for the implementation of these new sustainability criteria for agriculture and forest biomass under the recast of RED II. Decision trees are developed, tools and proofs are assessed, and the applicability is tested in case studies.