Industry leaders talk biofuel in Wuhan

An international summit forum on biomass heating was held on Nov 29 to 30 in Wuhan, Hubei province to promote the development of the bioenergy industry in China.

The forum, initiated by the International Energy Agency and Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association in China, was organized by Wuhan-based industry leader Optic Valley Bluefire.

It attracted more than 120 bioenergy experts, government officials and enterprise representatives from China and foreign countries, including Denmark and Sweden.

Chinese authorities have issued a series of documents to promote the development of bio energy in China, in a bid to reduce pollution and protect the environment, and the forum was held in response to the further implementation of those documents, according to Zhang Dayong, deputy secretary-general of the association.

The forum will help intensify industry communication and exchange and facilitate the industry to develop fast but healthily, he said.

Alan Searl, China program manager of the International Energy Agency, said bioenergy is the world's fourth most important energy source after coal, oil and natural gas, and is the only one that can replace coal for heating among renewable and clean energies.

Xiong Jian, president of Optic Valley Bluefire, said bioenergy is important for China to have a low-carbon energy mix in the fight against climate change and to protect the environment.

China has biomass resources which can be burned directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas, but only 5 percent of the resource has been exploited, he said.

According to a plan jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, the country aims to use 30 million tons of biofuel and 10 billion cubic meters of biogas by 2020, and bio energy will replace 30 million tons of coal in the energy mix.

In 2035 the numbers are expected to be respectively 50 million, 25 billion and 60 million.