Know more

The Ministry of Energy Transition (MTE) and the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (MTECT), through the DGEC (Direction Générale de l'Énergie et du Climat) and the Commissariat Général au Développement Durable (CGDD), have embarked on an in-depth assessment of the environmental impacts, as well as the technical, economic and societal issues associated with a significant increase in the use of biomass for energy purposes between now and 2050.

The advanced studie « Environmental impacts and technical, economic and social issues associated with mobilizing agricultural and forest biomass for energy production in France to 2050 » was entrusted to INRAE Transfert in 2022 and completed in 2023. It benefited from the input of 32 experts, and DEPE provided methodological support to the project team.

This bibliographical study does not aim to produce new data, but to provide a summary of current knowledge. It is divided into two parts. The first, environmental, focuses on characterizing the impact of increased use of agricultural and forest biomass for energy production on the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles, and on the biodiversity of the ecosystems concerned. The second part deals with the associated technical, economic and social issues. It aims to identify the economic and social balances that will enable the transition from a theoretical quantity of mobilizable biomass to a realistic vision of mobilization potential.

The study has also been the subject of regular exchanges with an advisory committee bringing together representatives of all the players in society likely to be concerned by the conclusions of the operation and to use the results: departments of the ministries involved in the study, French or European agencies, environmental or consumer associations, local authorities, professional organizations, economic players in the agri-food sector, scientific interest groups.