Spanish companies have certified more than 5 million tons of solid biomass (specifically, 5,150,541 tons); more than half (541,000,000) comes from waste and remnants of industrial processes such as sawdust or wood chips from sawmills, black liquor from the paper industry, and nut shells or pomace from the agri-food industry.
A quarter (261 TP3T) consists of forestry waste such as bark and non-commercial diameter timber. 181 TP3T are agricultural waste, primarily straw, while only 21 TP3T are roundwood. In 2023, SURE certified the sustainability of just over 300,000 tons of biogas in Spain.
Sustainability certificates issued by SURE worldwide
At the end of 2023, the scheme had 4,307 valid certificates worldwide, the vast majority in Europe, out of a cumulative total of 7,651 certificates issued since the start of its activity in 2021.
In 2023, Germany and Austria were the countries with the largest increase in the number of users of the SURE scheme, with 311 and 245 new users, respectively.
After Germany, which has by far the largest number of certified entities, more than 3,000, Spanish companies are the ones that rely most on this scheme to demonstrate that they meet the legal requirements of sustainability.
The notable increase in the number of Spanish economic operators opting for the SURE scheme reflects a growing commitment from Spanish industry to align itself as soon as possible with EU sustainability goals; a remarkable environmental awareness and a proactive response to national policies that promote the use of renewable energy.
Last year, SURE certified the sustainability of 49.93 million tons of biomass. Of this total, 68.7 million tons were biogas and 31.3 million tons were solid biomass. Organic waste and residues generated by industrial activities constituted the majority of the biomass used, followed by agricultural waste and residues.
Compared to countries like Germany, where biogas plays a more prominent role, Spain still relies more on solid biomass than on its gaseous forms to diversify its energy mix. Indeed, the report highlights that, in Spain, as in other southern European countries, there is greater use of solid biomass than biogas, a technology for which only a few companies have been certified. 2 companies.
Despite Spain's significant potential for generating biogas and other renewable gases, the still limited number of certificates may be related to the actual availability of raw materials and existing infrastructure. It is expected that this trend will reverse in the coming years, with a more balanced number of certificates for both solid and gaseous biomass.
Finally, it should be noted that the scheme invests in innovation and continuous improvement. In 2023, 748 major and critical nonconformity assessments were identified and addressed. This enabled effective corrective actions and improvements to the nonconformity management system, strengthening confidence in the SURE scheme among stakeholders, the market, and public institutions.
For its part, AVEBIOM, as the national entity supporting the system from the beginning, answers inquiries and organizes workshops, seminars, and experience-sharing events to foster dialogue and continuous improvement of the scheme. All the documentation and forms required for certification have been translated into Spanish by the association's technicians.
The SURE system, recognized by the European Commission, is designed to ensure that electricity and heat production from biomass meets the strict sustainability criteria set out in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II/III). SURE-certified plants generated over 120,400 GWh of energy from sustainable biomass in 2023. This production volume demonstrates the crucial role of biomass in renewable energy generation within the EU.