Work Package: Information

TWP2 is a package for information dissemination and the main aims are to increase the knowledge of the opportunities for bioenergy and also to enable technology transfer between the Baltic Sea Region countries and regions with tools of communication. WP2 includes tasks such as producing website and database for the project, conference organising and also producing of the information material for the project.

Objectives of the work package

The objectives of the work package are concentrated on the internal and external communication in the project and connecting those for promotion of bioenergy. The three main objectives are:

• Capacity building for creating a base for actors on the bioenergy field
• Information dissemination through different communication channels to promote sustainable bioenergy
• Interaction between project partners and the key market actors to create cooperation channels

General info about the work package

As the project is running strongly, the current focus of WP 2 is to disseminate the project results and increase political recognition of the project and project results in the Baltic Sea Region. Communication tools are vital for this. The quarterly published eNewsletter  offers relevant and up-to-date information about the project and project results and events for actors in the bioenergy field. Midterm project brochure and poster has been released in November 2010 and are available for download on the website. In addition, continuous update of project website is important for project communication.

Three international conferences are organised during the project. The first one was held in Helsinki November 2010 and concentrated on the nREAP, National Renewable Energy Action Plans. The second one was in Kaunas, November 2010. The last conference will be in Rostock in November 2011.

Work Package: Policy

The main rationale of the work package is to support the development and optimization of policy frameworks in the BSR countries with the purpose to effectively integrate sustainability principles and criteria into national and (sub)-regional policy frameworks, support schemes and public planning, and to promote capacity development for policy makers and planners regarding strategy and action plan development for sustainable bioenergy production and consumption.

The work package has the following specific objectives:

• Developing principles and criteria for sustainable bioenergy production in the BSR;
• Assessing existing sustainability and certification schemes and deriving proposals for optimization;
• Performing policy monitoring and showing ways and good practices how to integrate the principles and criteria into policy frameworks and support schemes;
• Supporting the formulation and implementation of coherent strategies and action plans promoting sustainable production and use of bioenergy;
• Supporting informed policy making and improving data availability through an analysis of GHG lifecycle impacts of wood biomass use and by providing a methodological framework for assessing real uses of wood biomass for bioenergy.

General info about the work package:

The work package is structured into the following tasks coordinated by different task leaders:

Task 3.1: Development of sustainability principles and criteria for bioenergy production (Swedish Board for Agriculture)

Task 3.2: Certification systems for sustainable biomass production and use (Agency for Renewable Resources, Germany)

Task 3.3 Policy assessment and strategy development (German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)

Task 3.4A: Sub-regional policy showcases (University of Rostock)

Task 3.4 B: Methodology for assessing wood biomass use (Swedish Forest Agency)

Key deliverables include guidance on sustainability principles and criteria, an exemplary analysis on GHG lifecycle impacts of small-scale wood biomass use, an assessment and comparative analysis of sustainability schemes and certification systems, an exemplary stakeholder consultation on sustainability certification, a trans-national stakeholder workshop on sustainability certification, EU and BSR country policy assessments, policy guidance for strategy and action plan development, capacity development workshops for policy makers, sub-regional policy showcases and guidance for (sub-)regional policy makers, and a methodological framework for assessing real uses of  wood biomass for bioenergy.

Work Package: Sub regions

For the rural regions biomass and bioenergy could be central affairs for the regional development. One or more regions will be developed in each country to serve as “testing grounds” for bioenergy promotion. In each region the biomass potential will be assessed, bioenergy related business and industry analysed, new pilot projects initiated, and in the end strategic management plans developed. In addition a regional network point will be established in each region.

Objectives of the work package

• Establish regions as “testing grounds”
• Develop means to promote bioenergy on a regional level
• Establish regional network points

General info about the workpackage

More ongoing information about the work package. In total 17 bioenergy-regions are established throughout the Baltic Sea Region. In most regions a regional network point is also established. In 2009 the main focus was on assessment of biomass potential. This work included preparation of a common methodology for data-mapping and assessment of the regional potentials. Further was the regional value added chains in conjunction with the biomass production analysed. An ongoing work is the initiation of pilot projects, which later shall be developed to regional examples for practical energetic use of biomass. In the last year of the project strategic management plans for an integrated and optimized use of biomass and bioenergy will be developed and implemented.Here you can find the regions.

Work Package: Business

The main driving force in the bioenergy market is the possibility to make business. Therefore WP5 Business focuses its efforts on “match-making” in the field of bioenergy market. Mapping the potential stakeholders, identifying state of the art in technology, summarising the best practices in business development, providing a virtual broker platform, facilitating opportunities to create networks, clusters, public-private partnerships - this is what this work package seeks to achieve.

The main goals of the Work Package are to

• Provide information to ensure sustainable, transparent business possibilities between BSR countries in the field of bioenergy, through comprehensive mapping of stakeholders, technologies and best practices in business development
• Establish a BSR wide virtual broker platform for bioenergy business developments
• Support bioenergy market “match-making” trough facilitation of opportunities to create networks, clusters, public-private partnerships and potential project development

General info about the work package

More ongoing information about the work package. There are four tasks under WP5, led by the following Partners: Nordic Energy Research from Norway, Spektrum from Poland, Pomcert from Poland and Swedish Energy Agency from Sweden. The Lead Partners are currently finalizing the methodology of realization of the set tasks and soon entering the realization phase. It is important to note that activities under WP5 are interlinked with some tasks under WP4 Subregions, such as mapping of business and industry analyses or activities of Regional Network Points. We are thus anticipating that the outcomes of both WP4 and WP5 will create the effect of synergy to multiply the possibilities of sustainable business contacts between regions and countries in BSR. WP5 are also interlinked with WP3 where activities in WP5 analys how sustainability createria established in WP3 can be applied for a new business development.