That's the power generated from burning organic matter like agricultural waste or forest residues. Just last week President Clinton announced that the United States will triple the electricity it produces from biomass sources by 2010 and Europe is committed to double its output by 2020. It's gaining popularity in Australia too, particularly the burning of wood waste. A biomass wood project was announced in NSW just this month and there are two on the drawing board in Victoria. But there's a snag.
Green groups are vehemently opposed to the process when native forests are involved.
Head of State Forests of NSW David Brand believes biomass has enormous potential and he's particularly positive about wood waste. But proposals to generate electricity from wood waste has attracted a lot of criticism from the conservation movement both in NSW and in Victoria. And they say it's completely unacceptable to burn native forests for power and then to call that green power. I think what we're trying to do here is find a better use for the waste stream that's coming from saw mills and operations. The nationally accredited Green Power scheme say that they won't recognised projects drawing wood waste from native forests under Green Power.