Project summary

The objectives of ENERGY BARGE were to:

• promote transnational cooperation between the main stakeholders in the biomass supply chain, including stakeholders from agriculture, the biomass industry and logistics service providers;
• increase energy security and energy efficiency in the Danube region by developing joint regional storage and distribution concepts and strategies to increase the use of bioenergy;
• establish a well-connected, reliable and environmentally friendly logistics concept for the supply of biomass raw materials, by-products and intermediate products by inland waterway vessel;
• position the Danube ports as hubs for the processing and handling of biomass products, increasing their efficiency and strengthening the networking of the Danube ports with stakeholders from the bioenergy sector;
• establish a reliable transport and distribution network for the bioenergy sector through practical advice for potential users of Danube logistics.

Results and impact

• An outstanding feature of the Energy Barge project was its cross-sectoral approach: the project brought together key stakeholders along the entire value chain, stakeholders from the bioenergy industry, Danube ports and relevant authorities and political stakeholders. This supported the transnational transfer of know-how and cooperation;
• Energy Barge provided a platform for the exchange of experiences and best practices to expand the use of biomass for energy production in the Danube region;
• Increased use of Danube logistics can help to reduce emissions, establish a low-carbon transport system and improve environmental performance along the entire bioenergy value chain;
• The project's promotion of ports as locations for the processing, handling and storage of biomass for energy production supports port development;
• In particular, the project contributed to the implementation of the action plans developed in the Priority Areas (PA) 2 "Energy" and PA 1a "Inland Waterways" of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR).