Germany's biomass auction and Austria's new heating plant boost renewable energy

The German Federal Network Agency signed the latest biomass auction for the 2026 delivery period. Of the 727 MW offered, investors submitted 494 bids totaling 637 MW; 388 bids were awarded 491 MW of capacity, with average award prices of 18.46 cent/kWh for biomass and 23.08 cent/kWh for biomethane. The auction marked the first award of biomethane projects since the 2022 round, following the EU‑approved biomass package that raised the ceiling price by 10 percent.

In Deutschlandsberg, Austria, a ceremonial ground‑breaking marked the start of a €18 million biomasse heating plant. The facility will house two 4 MW biomass boilers, raising total capacity to 7 MW after modernising the existing plant. A 200 000‑litre buffer tank and a regional supply chain for roughly 35 000 m³ of wood chips will support the plant, which aims to serve about 610 households and industrial customers. Expected CO₂ savings are around 2 500 tonnes per year, and the plant should be operational by autumn 2027.