WORLD BIOENERGY ASSOCIATION IN KOLKATA
Each year, the World Bioenergy Association (WBA) organizes at least one of its Board meetings outside Sweden, where it has its headquarters. In 2014, it decided to organize such a meeting in India, which is of great interest to WBA because of the importance it attaches to renewable energy in general as well as its size, population, and geopolitical importance. In 2010, the first ever WBA Board meeting in India was organized in New Delhi on the occasion of Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference. This year, Kolkata was chosen as the venue. WBA is the global organization dedicated to supporting and representing the wide range of actors in the bioenergy sector. Its members include national and regional bioenergy organizations, institutions, companies and individuals. It has its headquarters at Stockholm, Sweden and has Board members from key countries in different parts of the world, including China, India and Japan in Asia. The purpose of WBA is to promote the increasing utilization of bioenergy globally in an efficient, sustainable, economic and environmentally friendly way. Since its foundation in May 2008, WBA has been working to address a number of pressing issues including certification, sustainability, standardization, bioenergy promotion, and the debates about bioenergy´s impact on food, land-use and water supply. WBA is one of the partner organizations of the International Renewable Energy Alliance along with International Hydropower Association, International Solar Energy Society, International Geothermal Association and World Wind Energy Association. It is also a founding partner of Global 100%RE, which is the first global initiative that advocates 100% renewable energy. On the occasion of the Board meeting, WBA has joined hands with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) and Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM) in organizing a Roundtable on Bioenergy on 26th November 2014 (Wednesday) from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm at Williamson Magor Hall, BCC&I premises, 6 N S Road, Kolkata – 700001. India has a huge potential of bioenergy. Although MNRE’s recent annual reports suggest that the potential of agro-residues and plantations in the country total about 16,888 MW; in the report of 2005-2006 the estimated potential of power based on plantation on 21 Mha of waste lands was indicated to be 52,000 MW. TheCommittee on India Vision 2020 as well as the Standing Committee on Energy of the Indian Parliament estimated the total power potential of biomass from plantations in wasteland alone to be 100,000 MW. Thus, the total potential of biomass including wood from plantations, crop residues, wastes etc. should be substantially higher than 100,000 MW. This Roundtable is expected to highlight problems and barriers faced by the bioenergy sector in India as well as policy measures needed to remove these and stimulate bioenergy development. It will also bring together different stakeholder groups of bioenergy and should facilitate a dialogue among them in the future. Some of the participating industry representatives may also benefit from association with WBA which can facilitate study tours and technology transfer by putting them in contact with potential technology providers in Europe and elsewhere.