South Korean politician calls for investigation of biomass energy material imported from Indonesia
Source: AP
South Korean politician calls for investigation of biomass energy material imported from Indonesia
By VICTORIA MILKO and HYUNG-JIN KIM
Updated 9:08 PM EST, November 28, 2024
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) A South Korean National Assembly member has called for a moratorium on wood pellet imports from Indonesia and an investigation into their environmental impacts after government data and satellite analysis linked the countrys biomass imports to deforestation in Indonesia.
We should stop imports of wood pellets
and its important for our government to investigate exactly what kinds of environmental destruction is occurring on the spot, Moon Dae-Lim, a lawmaker with South Koreas main liberal opposition Democratic Party, said in recent written responses to questions from The Associated Press. Identifying and correcting potential risks in supply chains and value chains is key to a sustainable project.
Biomass can come from organic material like plants, wood and waste, and many coal-fired power plants can be easily modified to burn it alongside coal to make energy. As countries accelerate their energy transitions, demand for biomass is growing: The use of bioenergy has increased an average of about 3% per year between 2010 and 2022, the International Energy Agency said. Experts including the IEA say its important for that demand to happen in a sustainable way, such as using waste and crop residue rather than converting forest land to grow bioenergy crops.
In South Korea, bioenergy has grown to become the second-largest source of renewable energy and over 80% of its main raw material energy-dense wood pellets is dependent on imports, according to a policy report on the state audit authored by Moon and published in October.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/biomass-deforestation-indonesia-south-korea-wood-pellets-a5c2ade399922da0fe0cc45203f09a0d