5 December 2012: The December issue of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Implementing Agreement on Bioenergy (IEA Bioenergy) newsletter highlights activities at the 70th meeting of the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee (ExCo70), bioenergy in Austria, and Task 40 on Sustainable International Bioenergy Trade.

The newsletter features a guest editorial on bioenergy in Austria, which argues that bioenergy will likely make a significant contribution to reaching Austria’s target of 34% of energy from renewable sources by 2020, as agreed at the European level. The editorial highlights that in order to achieve this currently available conventional bioenergy will need to become more cost and energy efficient, while new technologies for transport fuels will need to be supported.

The newsletter further discusses activities at ExCo70 in November and highlights: a presentation on bioenergy in Russia and the work of the Russian Bioenergy Technology Platform; a project on monitoring sustainability certification of biofuels, the report of which will be presented at a workshop during the World Biofuel Markets Congress in Rotterdam in March 2013; and Task Leaders’ presentations on the new programmes of work for 2013-2015.

The newsletter also discusses the work of Task 40 on Sustainable International Bioenergy Trade, including: 2012 reports on the wood pellet market, the role of biofuels in commercial air transport, and the implementation of sustainability requirements for biofuels and bioenergy; and 2012 workshops on biomethane trade, the science-policy interface around the environmental sustainability of forest bioenergy; and challenges and opportunities for the financial community. [Publication: IEA Bioenergy Newsletter Volume 24(2) December 2012]