Co-firing, along with dedicated large-scale biomass combustion, are considered by many as a major short- to medium-term measure for mitigating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the power sector. Due to the large-thermal capacity of most coal-fired power plants, the adoption of co-firing, even at relatively low thermal shares, requires the organisation of a biomass supply chain for large bulk quantities; in some cases, the supply chain may even span the globe. The organisation of such a supply chain requires extensive planning and organisation involving all parties: plant operators, fuel suppliers, and policy makers. In addition, the mobilisation of large amounts of biomass resources is raising several important issues, such as competition for raw materials between the energy sector and the wood or food industry to concerns on the GHG emissions of longdistance biomass supply chains. Within the EU, large-scale biomass utilisation in the power sector is quite fragmented, as a result of differences in national legislations, fuel availability/sourcing, and sustainability concerns. In this paper, the current practices and future perspectives of these issues are being discussed.
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