G/TBT/N/DNK/114  
19 February 2021 
(21-1406) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  DENMARK   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
The Danish Energy Agency  
Carsten Niebuhrs Gade 43  
DK-1577 Copenhagen V  
Phone: +45 33 92 67 00  
E-mail: ens@ens.dk  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority  designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Danish Business Authority  
Langelinie Allé 17  
DK-2100 Copenhagen O  
Denmark  
Phone: +45 35 29 10 00  
E-mail: notifikationer@erst.dk  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Fire wood, 
wood briquettes, wood pellets, wood chips and other materials of wood used to produce 
energy; Fuel wood, in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms; wood in chips or 
particles; sawdust and wood waste and scrap, whether or not  agglomerated in logs, 
briquettes, pellets or similar forms (HS 4401)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Bekendtgørelse 
om bæredygtighed og reduktion af drivhusgasemissioner for biomassebrændsler og 
flydende biobrændsler t il energiformål, m.v. og Bekendtgørelse om Håndbog om 
opfyldelse af bæredygtighedskrav og krav til reduktion af drivhusgasemissioner for 
biomassebrændsler til energiformål (HB 2021)  
6. Description of content:  The proposed rules establish requirements for biomass fuels 
produced from wood if used in installations producing electricity, heating, cooling or fuels. 
The draft rules are an addition to the rules laid out in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the 
use of energy from renewable sources (REDII).  
REDII covers installations with a total rated thermal input equal to or exceeding 20 MW 
in the case of solid biomass and with a thermal input equal or exceeding 2 MW for gaseous 
biomass  fuels. The Danish additional rules will, for solid biomass fuels produced from 
wood, cover installations producing electricity, heating, cooling or fuels with a thermal 
input down to 2.5 MW. This entails that these installations shall fulfill the sustaina bility G/TBT/N/DNK/114  
 
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  criteria and greenhouse gas emission savings set out in REDII. The requirements will 
apply in the same way as they must apply to plants with a thermal input of 20 MW or 
more for solid biomass fuels and 2 MW or more for gaseous biomass fuels in accor dance 
with the REDII.  
Unlike REDII the Danish additional rules entails that the sustainability and greenhouse 
gas criteria apply for importers and manufacturers of wood pellets, if they import/produce 
equal to or above 20000 tons annually. The rules will also apply where compan ies uses 
biomass fuels produced from wood for industrial purposes, e.g. for space heating inside 
the company or for process purposes.  
Furthermore, the rules contain two additional criteria that do not follow from the REDII. 
One aims to protect biodiversit y and the other aims to prevent the use of unsustainable 
and climate -damaging biomasses.  
With a phasing -in until 30 June 2023, the proposed rules will also apply to importers and 
producers of wood pellets, wood briquettes or firewood, if they import/produ ce at least 
5000 tons annually. However, the rules will not apply if the importer/producer can 
document that a specified amount is not to be used for energy purposes.  
Finally, more restrictive greenhouse gas emission saving criteria will be set. The draft 
rules entails that where biomass fuels produced from wood are used also existing plants 
must fulfil the criteria and the savings must be at least 75 % up to and including 
31 December  2024. From 1 January 2025, they must be at least 80 % and from 
1 January  2028 at least 83 %.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The main purpose of the rules is to ensure a reduced emission of greenhouse 
gasses compared to fossil fuels and safeguard the environment and the bio diversity.   The 
purpose with the Danish additional rules is to reduce the risk that biomass fuels produced 
from wood used in Denmark originates from a non -sustainable source. By including more 
economic operators than REDII, the vast majority of wood -based biomass fuels used in 
Denmark to produce energy will have to meet the sustainability and greenhouse gas 
emissions saving criteria. The rules will furthermore contribute to safeguard that wood -
based biomass used for energy in Denmark origins from forests wh ere carbon stocks and 
sinks are preserved. In addition, the rules will limit emissions in the production chain, for 
example emissions related to the transport or manufacture of wood pellets or other 
fuels.   The rules will reduce dedicated felling of entire  larger trees for energy purposes 
from areas/countries where carbon stock decreases. Additionally the rules will result in 
greater consideration for areas with high biodiversity or endangered or vulnerable 
species. The requirements will thus contribute to the global climate effort as well as to 
the achievement of European goals related to climate and biodiversity; Protection of the 
environment  
8. Relevant documents:   
• Executive orders (draft)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  1 June 2021  
Proposed date of entry into force:  30 June 2021  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification  G/TBT/N/DNK/114  
 
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  11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Danish Standards  
Göteborg Plads 1  
Nordhavn  
DK-2150  
+ (45) 39 96 61 40  
+ (45) 39 96 61 01 (Fax)  
wto@ds.dk  
http://www.ds.dk  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/DNK/21_1234_00_x.pdf