La biomasse, activité alternative au développement des zones rurales

Marie SURAUD Catholic university of Leuwen

Master in European Studies the Institute of European Studies

2000/2001

BIOMASS:

ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RURAL ZONES

Euro 3209: Seminar of Economy

Professor: Luc-Domenica BERNARD

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

I The Community framework 5

1- The European energy policy 5

has) The operation of the domestic market of energy 6

b) The safety of the energy provisioning 7

2- The Common agricultural policy 7

II The European situation : an economy énergovore, a rural world in change 10

1 An impossible energy autonomy ? 10

has) Energy dependence 10

b) The modesty of the Community resources 12

c) The current solution : energy diversification 13

2 Biomass 15

has) Renewable sources of energy 15

b) Biomass 17

c) A potential abundance 20

3 The rural world 22

a) Changes 22

b) Nonfood cultures 25

c) Biomass and agriculture 27

III Objectives of the installation of the biomass like energy 30

1 The reduction of the energy dependence 30

2 Relaunching of the rural world 30

has) A durable and profitable economic activity 31

b) Creation of jobs 31

3 An ecological concern 33

IV An energy with a future 35

1 European programs 35

has) The countryside for the takeoff of the renewable sources of energy 35

b) Altener II, Leader + 38

2 Examples to be followed 39

a) The power station of the Mould in Guadeloupe 39

has) A system of heating combined biomass-solar on a village scale 41

b) «Biomass Heating contractor off the year 2000 », a national competition 42

3 Costs and financing of the projects 43

5- Obstacles with the development of the renewable ones 46

a) Obstacles with the production 46

b) Obstacles with the use 48

V- Prospects for widening : the opening to the PECO 49

1- The energy situation 49

2- International energy co-operation 49

3- The role of energy diversification 50

CONCLUSION 52

THANKS 53

BIBLIOGRAPHY 54

APPENDICES 57

Appendix 1: HAVE energy importation dependancy, EU-15 (1995-2020) 57

Appendix 2: Article [39] 33 TCE 57

Appendix 3 : Leaves renewable energies in the primary consumption of energy of the EU (in %) 58

Appendix 4 : The share of the renewable sources of energy (SER) in the consumption and the energy production 58

Appendix 5 : Ventilation of the contribution of the renewable sources of energy 59

Appendix 6 : Energy production starting from wood-energy in the European Convention countries in 1999 59

Appendix 7 : Energy production starting from biogas in the European Union 60

Appendix 8 : Comparison between the current tendency and the objectives of the White Paper for the production of biocarurant in the European Union 60

Appendix 9 : European objectives of development of the biomass by 2003 and 2010 61

Appendix 10 : objectives of EAGGF 61

Appendix 11 : The share of the number of employment in agriculture on the total number of employment, expressed as a percentage, in 1997 63

Appendix 12 : Evolution of employment in the sector of agriculture and agro-alimentary, expressed in million people, for the EU, of 1983 to 1997 63

Appendix 13 : Evolution of the number of exploitation and the nonfamily agricultural labor, expressed as a percentage, between 1990 and 1995 64

Appendix 14: Agricultural surface devoted to the nonfood productions in the EU, expressed in thousands of hectares, by annual countryside 65

Appendix 15 : The ventilation of the contribution of the biomass 66

Appendix 16: detailed data concerning the production of firewood (UE-15) 66

Appendix 17: Evolution of the exploitation of the renewable sources of energy on the cold grounds 66

Appendix 18 : Indicative estimate of the public financing for the takeoff campaign of the renewable sources of energy (1999-2003) in the EU 67

Appendix 20 : Diagram of operation of the Power station of the Mould 68

INTRODUCTION

Five years after the conference of Rio, the climatic change was again in the center of the international debate from the point of view of « third conference of the parts with convention-tallies of the United Nations on the climatic change » which was held in Kyoto in December 1997. the European Union recognized that it was urgent to attack the problem of the climatic change. It adopted a position of negotiation besides envisaging, as objectives for the industrialized countries, a reduction of 15% of the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse from here 2010 compared to the level of 1990. To help the Member States to achieve this goal, the commission listed, in its communication relating to the energy dimension of the climatic change, a series of actions as regards energy, where the renewable sources have a role essential to play.

The dependence of the EU lived imports of energy accounts for already 50% of its consumption and should be reinforced during next years if no measurement is taken, reaching 70% in 2020. It is in particular the case for the oil and the gas, which will come from sources increasingly far away from the Union, which often involves geopolitical risks. The security of the supply will thus hold more and more the attention. Being indigenous, the renewable sources of energy will have a role important to play in the lowering of the level of the imports of energy, with the positive effects that that will involve for the external balance and the security of the supply.

The correct operation of the company and our wellbeing require reliable sources of energy which meet our needs for heat, lighting and mechanical force. The renewable energies, exploited in Europe for a long time, are dedicated to play a part growing in our energy provisioning. The good distribution of the renewable sources of energy, particularly the biomass, the hydroelectricity, the solar one and the wind one, indicate them as an important asset for the rural zones where they can improve the economic situation, create qualified jobs and contribute to reduce the load on the environment.

The biomass is the fourth source of energy of planet, the principal fuel used by the three quarters of the world population. It contributes a substantial share to the energy provisioning several European countries.

The cultures at nonfood ends have a long tradition in the 15 Member States of the EU. Their importance increased because in particular of the need for developing renewable energies in order to achieve the dependant environmental goals, for example, with the climatic changes. But several other industrial uses are being studied. Agriculture could become, in the future, a very important supplier of industrial products and energy. The biomass could constitute a solution of replacement to the nonrenewable sources of energy. The increase in the productivity leading to an increasingly surplus offer of food cultures, the alternative industrial uses could become more competitive. Since 1993, the farmers launched the production of raw materials agricultural at nonfood ends on cold grounds. These last years, between 10 and 15% of the fallow lands were devoted to nonfood cultures. Jointly to a certain number of tax measurements, this system contributed to promote the development of cultures intended for the production of ecological bio-fuels and biodegradable plastics.

The agricultural world being in full change and crisis, it is then a question here of trying to find a solution with the development of the rural zones, i.e. a solution to try to make revive campaigns which die, thanks to a new economic activity which could be the culture of energy plants for the production of heat and energy on a large scale.

The biomass represents indeed a significant potential of creation of economic activity and labor.

It will first of all be a question of defining the Community framework concerning the energy policy and the common agricultural policy. We will then see that it is the European situation, as well side of the energy dependence as side of agriculture. Then, we will try to see which are the objectives of the installation of the biomass like source of energy and which it is the feasibility of such a project. Finally we will look at the place which will hold the applicant countries in this project.