In 2007, China has issued The Strategic Plan of the Mid-and-Long Term Development of Renewable Energy which indicates that the amount of clean energy utilization will be further increased with the target of 15 % of total energy consumption by 2020.
As the most abundant source of renewable energy, biomass it is considered as one of the most important resources for improving China’s national energy strategy.

 China generates more than 7 billion tonnes of biomass waste (the main chinese biomass resource) per year, accounting for more than 60 % of total solid waste, while 1.5 billion tonnes of biomass waste remain unused. It is an environmental pollution source, being responsible of discharged organic contaminants and eutrophication pollutants into the natural water system and its management is thus becoming a crucial point in environmental issues. Some of 600 million tonnes of urban waste are collected separately each year in China: converting this waste into 45 billion cubic metres of biogas could cut down 150 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Coupled with the implementation of centralised biomass projects, greater amounts of biogas could be produced, which could dramatically reduce pollutants by 2015.

The Europe – China Clean Energy Centre (EC2) want to to promote an increasing use of clean energy in China by the transfer of the state – of – the – art technologies, policy advisory services, capability building and awareness raising. It is a hub of excellence providing support to the Chinese Government and decision and policy makers in the energy sector, both Chinese and European. The Centre is managed by a consortium of nine partners – six European and three Chinese – led by Politecnico di Torino (Italy).The Euro – Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change CMCC is the Leader of Work Package C (Capacity Building) and is also involved in WP A (Elaborating an Exit Strategy) and WP D (“Elaborating an Awareness Raising Strategy” and “Action Plan and Building and Operating a website”).
 In its first advisory report, The Study of Potential and Constraints of the Biomass Sector in China, EC2  realized a comprehensive analysis of bioenergy development in China. The research was in particular carried out by three members of the EC2 consortium: the CMCC (Italy), Tsinghua University (China), the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (France).

The publication focuses on types and quantities of biomass resources in China, then providing an overview of technologies used in China and elsewhere to convert biomass into energy. It explores technology and application trends and  investigates foreign and domestic policy structure. It also includes recommendations from developed countries, providing an innovative methodology for evaluating available biomass for conversion into energy.

Read the second issue of Clean Energy Perspectives, the quarterly newsletter of EC2, focused on the Chinese Biomass Sector.