Q&A WITH JENS WOLF

Europe Focuses On Biomass

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jens Wolf serves as Vice President and General Manager of Europe for Enviva, joining Enviva in January 2020. He is responsible for regulatory engagement and market development in the region, and for managing Enviva’s European team in York, Berlin and London. Wolf brings more than 20 years of experience in the power industry with more than a decade of focus on biomass-derived power and fuel sourcing. He joined Enviva from Drax Group where he was responsible for trading, fuel sourcing, logistics and new fuels development, ultimately serving as commercial director for almost four years. Previously, he served as head of Asset Management and Development, director, with Ørsted A/S (formerly DONG Energy) for five years. At Ørsted, he managed the development of four coal-to-biomass conversion projects and the associated redesign of the fuel supply chain. He began his career in consulting at ICF International and McKinsey & Co. Wolf holds a M.Sc. in Economics from Copenhagen University and speaks Danish and Spanish fluently, among other languages. Wolf agreed to answer several questions posed by the editors of Wood Bioenergy.

WB: Speculate on 10 years from now, where Europe might be with regard to wood biomass heating and electricity as part of its infrastructure?

Wolf: The future of biomass is very promising with substantial growth opportunities for the industry and a broader energy sector. In the short term, woody biomass is a viable alternative in industrial and combined heat and power (CHP) applications. Wood pellets offer a reliable, dispatchable, carbon-neutral replacement to coal- and gas-fired boilers and furnaces in heavy industries such as steel, cement and other applications where high temperatures are needed. Further down the road, when surplus solar and wind could potentially be used to create hydrogen at scale, there will be an exciting opportunity to produce aviation and other fuels with carbon capture of biomass that could result in even fewer net greenhouse gas emissions.

WB: Looking back 10 years as the new generation of wood energy came forward to the present, how would you describe the influx of biomass power in Europe?

Wolf: Over the last decade there has been a large increase in the demand for wood bioenergy. In fact, the use of bioenergy has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of its enduse as heat, transportation and electricity. As more and more countries take aggressive action toward mitigating climate change, the demand for sustainably sourced biomass is expected to increase. For example, last year we saw the United Kingdom completing a record-breaking 67-day period without burning coal. That’s the longest the UK has been without coal since the dawn of the industrial revolution and it could not have been possible without biomass.

With the implementation of innovative negative emissions technologies on the horizon, such as BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage), opportunities for biomass as an essential generating resource will become standard.

WB: What are the biggest challenges facing wood energy and power in Europe moving forward?

Wolf: The biggest challenge the woody biomass industry has and will continue to face is educating our broader set of stakeholders and policy makers about the significant role biomass plays in the transition to a clean energy future. As the largest renewable energy source in the EU, there will not be a carbon neutral or a carbon negative world by mid-century, without the use of sustainably sourced woody biomass.

WB: How much additional industrial wood pellet market is there in Europe and where is it?

Wolf: The need to decarbonize is acute and I think we will see additional industrial pellet use in a couple of areas. Firstly, we will see countries with large coal dependency like Germany and Poland follow in the footsteps of the most ambitious and in GHG (greenhouse gas) terms most successful countries like the United Kingdom and Denmark in converting district heating plants from coal to biomass. The second area where we will see an increased use is in industrial heat and process applications like steel, cement, ceramics and others, where carbon prices will soon make coal uneconomical yet there is no other practical and available solution to provide high heat with low carbon profile. Further down the line I believe we will see a move into chemicals and other industries where we need to replace fossil fuel as feedstock.

WB: Where does Germany currently stand on the development of biomass energy heating and electricity?

Wolf: This past summer Germany passed the “Coal Exit Law” requiring a transition to alternative fuels by 2027 and an end to coal burning by 2038. With coal currently the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany, they have been receptive to the use of sustainably sourced biomass for power and heat generation, as biomass can further support the transition from traditional to new energy and complements the intermittency of wind and solar.

Furthermore, due to the ongoing forest crisis in Germany brought on by drought, winter storms and bark beetle plagues, the biomass industry creates an alternative market for unused, low-value, waste wood that would otherwise be left in the forest and prevent the regeneration of the forests.

WB: Does Europe still possess a large traditional base of coal industry support?

Wolf: The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that coal-fired electricity generation experienced its largest decrease in 2020, providing only around 15% of total generation, while renewables are thought to have provided 42%.

Today, bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in the EU and is vital to achieving a carbon-negative economy by mid-century with the application of BECCS.

Wolf: Co-firing is not the focus, but conversion is. Biomass conversions of existing coal-fired power plants displaces coal and ensures dispatchable capacity on the system to provide energy when there is not enough wind and solar energy available for heat and power. The use of wood energy makes economic sense, particularly in the case of CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plants, which generate both electricity and heat, and where the only alternative is continuing on coal or building new gas plants. The use of wood energy is also needed for select system-critical power plants to continue operating, using existing infrastructure, but typically operating less hours and in more of a backup function. A system critical plant is typically one that needs to run to either reduce the risk of a system blackout or to provide a reactive power infeed that enables the power from other plants to be transported to where the demand is. “As the largest renewable energy source in the EU, there will not be a carbon neutral or a carbon negative world by mid-century, without the use of sustainably sourced woody biomass.”

WB: How important to the European people is the concept of reduced or negative carbon emissions or carbon capture at this point in time?

Wolf: Very important. Relatively speaking, Europe is on a path to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050, but it cannot be done without negative emissions, and biomass enables that solution. We are already seeing the 27 member states in the process of implementing measures to cut carbon emissions by 55% from 1990 levels in the next decade and I believe biomass is only going to grow in importance.

WB: Describe your responsibilities for Enviva in Europe?

Wolf: As the Vice President and General Manager of Europe for Enviva—the world’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets—I work with customers, regulators, policymakers and external stakeholders to reduce the use of fossil fuels and expand the use of sustainable wood biomass across Europe. I am currently based in the United Kingdom, but have more than 20 years of experience working across the value chain within the power, heat and biomass industries across Europe and beyond. My role has a good mix of advocacy, operational and commercial responsibility, but timewise I spend most of my time helping potential customers, governments and lawmakers on how they can use sustainably sourced wood pellets to transition from coal whilst keeping sure there is 24-7 availability of heat and power.

(DISCLAIMER: This article contains “forward-looking statements,” including the author’s present expectations regarding future regulatory developments and the evolution of the renewable

WB: How much potential is there in co-firing with energy industry and bioenergy’s role within it. Forward-looking coal in Europe? statements involve significant risks and uncertainties.)

April 2021 / Wood Bioenergy 19