Fuel Market Day 2025: Navigating a Changing World – Bioenergy as Europe’s Growth and Innovation Engine

From left: Maria Westrin, Head of Unit Energy Markets, Swedish Energy Agency, Dr. Markus Millinger, Senior Researcher, Research Institutes of Sweden and Maria Saxe, Sustainability Director, Stora Enso are discussing the availability of biomass in a panel moderated by Anna Törner, CEO, and Johnny Kjellström, Head of Public Affairs at Svebio. Photo: Joline Ekman

More than 100 delegates from eleven countries – Sweden, other Baltic Sea countries, and from across Europe – participated in the one-day conference, including industry leaders, market analysts, policymakers, researchers and representatives from bioenergy companies and organizations.

The conference focused on current market developments and challenges for solid biofuels, including continued price volatility, declining market liquidity, and growing competition for biomass. Speakers from companies, academia, authorities, industry associations, and analysis firms provided expert insights and sparked engaged panel discussions and networking dialogues throughout the day.

The regulatory pressure from the EU

A recurring theme was the regulatory pressure from the EU, with participants highlighting concerns over increasing complexity, legal uncertainty, and the risk of over-regulation. Several speakers pointed to the cumulative effects of multiple EU legislative files – such as the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) – as factors shaping market conditions and investment decisions. Hopefully, the European Commission’s announced Bioeconomy strategy and the Omnibus simplification package will make things easier for the bioenergy sector.

Despite these challenges, the sector’s outlook remains cautiously optimistic. Bioenergy continues to stand out as having a strong growth potential. Delegates underlined that solutions exist – but they require closer cooperation along the value chain, more transparent markets, and stronger advocacy on the European level.

The conference also explored future demand scenarios for biomass as a critical feedstock not only for energy but also for fuels, materials, and emerging industrial uses. Discussions on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and CCUS showed continued momentum, with significant attention to Sweden’s CCS state aid scheme and the first (second under way) reverse auction process now underway. Also use of captured carbon used för e-fuel production gained attention.

Strengthen collaboration

Overall, this year’s Fuel Market Day confirmed that there is enormous transition power waiting to be unleashed within the bioeconomy. To realize this potential, stakeholders will need to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge, and communicate bioenergy’s contribution to climate neutrality and energy security – both nationally and in Brussels.

Svebio is proud to provide a platform like Fuel Market Day, where producers, users, policymakers, and analysts can meet, exchange views, and shape the future of the market together. We look forward to welcoming you to next year’s event – 24 September 2026.

Fuel Market Day 2025 – Participant Feedback

Fuel Market Day 2025 received high praise from participants, with an average rating of 8.178/10. Attendees highlighted the strong mix of topics, high-quality presentations, and excellent networking opportunities as key strengths of the event. Suggestions for improvement focused mainly on enhancing networking formats, inviting more political voices, and expanding market analyses in future editions.