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Your event agenda

08.00

09.00

09.10

Morning registration and networking

Welcome from The Energy Huddle

Bryony Senczyszyn, Founder, The Energy Huddle

Chairperson's opening remarks

Paul Davies, Chair, The Coalition for Negative Emissions

Conference day one: Tuesday 3 March

BUILDING A BUSINESS CASE FOR BIOCHAR PROJECTS

09.20

Stakeholder keynote panel: Unlocking the business case for biochar: Commercial strategies on the journey to net zero

Unlock with experts how to build commercially viable biochar projects by integrating three core revenue streams - biochar sales, carbon credits, and energy generation, while keeping capital expenditure low. Speakers will share insights on business model innovation and the practical levers needed to unlock scale in a rapidly evolving market.

  • Creating a viable business model: aligning revenue streams, feedstocks and offtakes

  • What are the carbon bottlenecks and roadblocks in making biochar a commodity?

  • How to reduce capex and find economical and reliable technologies?

  • What is the current view on smaller projects versus scalable projects reaching big players?

  • Which industries will be willing to pay for biochar and at what price to get it to mass market?

Moderator:

Luisa Marin, Executive Director, International Biochar Initiative

Speakers:

Matt Rickard, CEO, Biochar Life

Alex Brodie, Director, Brodie Biomass

Craig Sams, Executive Chairman, Carbon Gold

10.00

Keynote case study: Strategies for utilising biochar and aligning revenue streams for a compelling business case

  • How to commercialise biomass as a green carbon source in the energy transition

  • Scaling biochar within circular systems to generate carbon credits and new revenue streams

  • Addressing social and environmental risks across the biochar supply chain

  • Building reliable partnerships and managing capital-intensive technology investments

Michael Hjorth Christensen, CEO, Nordic Carbon​

10.20

Morning coffee break including 1-2-1 meetings stations

11.20

Global project developers panel: Developing economic viable biochar projects globally

Take a look at global case studies of biochar projects and explore comparative advantages of operating in: UK, Europe, USA, South America, Africa.

  • Finding cost-efficient, reliable pyrolysis technology to create the right biochar properties

  • How to align partners with feedstocks, biochar offtakes, thermal energy and credits?

  • De-risking project development: addressing contractual, process and leakage risk

  • What is the right biochar price structure for offtake and joint venture agreements?

Moderator:

Luisa Marin, Executive Director, International Biochar Initiative

Speakers:

Vaibav Jain, Founder and CEO, Revata Carbon

Lylia Khennache, Vice President, Climate Solutions, Airex Energy

William Orr, Project Manager, Truecoco Biochar

11.50

Case study: Council and government planning permission to aid feasibility studies

  • Coordinating with local councils to shape project feasibility and business plans

  • Building robust feasibility studies and securing consultant expertise for planning submissions

  • Overcoming main roadblocks in obtaining council and government planning permission

  • Leveraging UK woodland resources and local authority engagement for successful project siting and community alignment

Dan Wrench, Climate Change Task Force, Shropshire Council

12.05

12.40

GLOBAL REGULATION TO SUPPORT INDUSTRY GROWTH

UK policy (DESNZ and DEFRA): Bridging regulatory gaps to align UK policy with EU CRCF standards and unlock certification, investment, and carbon market access

  • How will integrating CDR into the emissions trading system work?

  • How is biochar leading as a cost-effective choice in the emissions trading system (ETS)?

  • What new methodologies are being developed for carbon removals?

  • How is the CRCF shaping biochar policy across multiple jurisdictions?

  • How is biochar classified as a waste product, and where can it be disposed of or utilised?

Moderator:

Paul Davies, Chair, The Coalition for Negative Emissions

Speakers include:

Jess de Looy-Hyde, Head of GGR Standards and Methodologies, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero 

Hanna Ojanen, Board Member, Nordic Carbon Removal Association

Professor Colin Snape, Director of EPSRC Centre of Doctoral Training in CCS and Cleaner Fossil Energy, University of Nottingham

Networking lunch

13.50

AGRICULTURAL USES AND CO-BENEFITS FOR SOIL AND CROP HEALTH

Agriculture panel: Using biochar as a soil amendment to enhance soil health, carbon sequestration and agricultural productivity

Hear from experts how farming can utilise biochar application as a tool for food security, carbon sequestration, soil quality and how biochar works in synergy with nutrient delivery.

  • What opportunities exist for farmers to pursue small-scale biochar projects with registered carbon removals?

  • Biochar and the farming business: what management tools exist for mapping capabilities?

  • Collaborating with farmers and exploring co-benefits of biochar

  • How does biochar build carbon rich soil to bring food production costs down?

Alessandro Pozzi, President, Italian Biochar Association ICHAR

Speakers include:

Lottie Hawkins, Founder, Earthly Biochar

Cathal FitzGerald, Chairman, Arigna Group

Anjali Jayakumar, Lecturer and Assistant Professor, Newcastle University  

Hannah Markham, Researcher, University of Nottingham

14.20

BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK DYNAMICS, COMPETITIVENESS AND AVAILABILITY

Panel discussion: Exploring the global feedstock landscape: Availability, properties and competitiveness across industries

Hear from a panel of experts on the current feedstock market, from wood chips and agricultural residues to coffee beans, pyrolysis oil, hemp, and palm kernel shells.

  • What is the competition for woody biomass and how will the biochar industry compete?

  • Which steps are involved in testing feedstock baskets and their carbon content variations?

  • How do biomass feedstocks influence production costs and the limits to scaling up?

  • Which pre- and post-treatments are required for certain biochar feedstocks?

Moderator:

Izabela Santos, Founder and CEO, StratX Growth Group, Co-Founder, Carbon13

Speakers include:

Julie Klein, Biochar Development Director, SUEZ

Rob Palmer, CEO, Tera

Rusty Peterson, Business Development Manager, IND HEMP

14.50

Afternoon coffee break and interactive huddles

Join laser-focused group discussions. Collaborate with like-minded attendees and shape new strategies. Reflect on insights from the main stage and through candid and open discussions you will leave with clear, actionable takeaways.

​

Huddle 1: Regenerative agriculture: 6 years’ experience using biochar and co-benefits

Led by: Mick Jones, Director, Carbon Hill Ltd

Huddle 2:  Carbon credit buyers: Operating in a new carbon removal environment

Richard Davis, Senior Partnerships Manager, Rainbow 

Huddle 3: The importance of partnership in scaling up the biochar
market and role of research

Led by: Dr. Anjali Jayakumar, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, Newcastle University, UK

Huddle 4: Steps in feedstock and pyrolysis plant testing

Huddle 5: Data quality and transparency as the foundation of bankable biochar carbon credits

Led by: Hamed Sanei, Founder, Fusinite

15.50

CLASSIFICATION, CERTIFICATION AND STANDARDS

Classifying biochar: Biochar specification and the importance of uniformity across the supply chain

  • What are the differentiators between biochar, biocarbon, and bio-coal in terms of production, application, and carbon permanence?

  • Are there any changes to standards in classifying biochar?

  • Identifying different specifications for biochar and the need for uniformity in certification

Moderator:

Mauro Giorcelli, Scientific Council, Biochar Europe

Speakers include:

Yves Ryckmans, CTO, Engie

Dominique Helaine, Carbon Solutions Director, SUEZ

16.20

Panel debate: Setting standards and certification frameworks for biochar and carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

Hear from experts and understand eligibility for carbon credits in an increasing bureaucratic landscape and requirements across industries including steel, metal, and cement.

  • What are the requirements and evidence needed for registering carbon credits?

  • How should key parameters like stability and composition be standardised for certification?

  • Who owns the value of the carbon credit when multiple actors contribute to the removal?

  • How can co-benefits and sector-specific applications be integrated into evolving standards?

  • How can we ensure that each tonne of captured and stored CO₂ results in only one verified carbon removal credit?

Moderator:

Professor Colin Snape, Director of EPSRC Centre of Doctoral Training in CCS and Cleaner Fossil Energy, University of Nottingham

Speakers include:

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP)

Richard Iliffe, Director of Implementation, ICVCM

Rob Brown, Carbon Removal Scientist, Isometric

16.50

17.20

17.30

INDUSTRY DEMAND FOR BIOMASS AND CROSS INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

End-user demand panel discussion: How can industries collaborate and best utilise feedstocks and processes without competing heavily for biogenic feedstocks

A deep dive into how biochar can position itself alongside industries such as SAF in the race for sustainable feedstocks.

  • Which industries drive feedstock demand, and how can collaboration be improved?

  • How can biochar compete with sectors paying premium prices for woody biomass?

  • How can processes and technologies be optimised to reduce costs across competing industries?

Moderator: Caitilín McManus, Technology Analyst, Technology and Innovation Team, BloombergNEF 

Speakers include:

Jonathan Wood, Chief Commercial Officer, Nova Pangaea Technologies

Marcella Franchi, Chief Commercial Officer, Head of SAF, Haffner Energy

​

Chairperson’s closing remarks

​Paul Davies, Chair, The Coalition for Negative Emissions

Drinks reception

Unwind with participants and continue your informal networking into the evening

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