Berlin’s Controversial Biomass Plant Sparks Debate Over Green Energy Future
Berlin is planning a new waste-wood biomass plant to cut fossil fuel use in its energy supply. The facility, proposed by Berliner Energie und Wärme (BEW), would be built at the Reuter West heating plant site. But environmental groups are pushing back, calling for cleaner alternatives instead.
BEW’s application outlines a combined heat and power (CHP) plant burning wood waste, forest residues, and biomass from short-rotation plantations. The city already produces around 112,000 tons of waste wood each year, yet the existing Neukölln plant in Rudow consumes over twice that amount annually. Under future heating plans, Berlin’s demand could exceed a million tons—far beyond what local sources can provide.
Vattenfall secured long-term contracts for waste wood supply to the Reuter West site in 2023. However, critics argue that even waste wood should be reused rather than burned. Tobias Quast-Malur of Friends of the Earth Berlin (BUND Berlin) warns that wood remains a finite resource with competing uses across industries.
Environmental groups are now rallying against wood combustion altogether. They urge the city to invest in more advanced technologies, such as geothermal energy, instead of relying on biomass. The public has until January 9 to submit formal objections to the proposed plant.
The debate highlights tensions between Berlin’s push to phase out fossil fuels and concerns over resource sustainability. With objections open until early January, the plant’s future depends on both public feedback and the city’s long-term energy strategy. Environmentalists insist that modern, climate-friendly solutions should take priority over wood-burning facilities.
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