Biomass: How can Government ensure its sustainability?
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) examines Government support for the use of biomass for fuel on Monday 3 March at 3.30pm, proceeding from the National Audit Office’s (NAO) own report on the topic.
Meeting details
The Government is relying on the use of biomass, in combination with carbon capture technology, to make a significant contribution to reaching its legally-mandated target of reaching net zero by 2050. In 2022, 11% of UK electricity was generated from biomass, with 6.4% of its heat stemming from the same source in 2021. More than £20bn of support to businesses using biomass in the power and heat sectors has been provided by Government over the past twenty years.
The Government recently announced that support for biomass beyond 2027 will come with a requirement that 100% of woody biomass is sustainable, rather than the current 70%. But the NAO’s report found that Government cannot currently demonstrate it is adequately ensuring generators comply with sustainability requirements.
The evidence session will hear from senior officials at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and regulator Ofgem, with likely topics including:
- the Government’s approach to making sure biomass is sustainable;
- what plans exist to ensure that biomass can contribute to achieving net zero to the degree Government expects; and
- lessons learned from Ofgem’s recent investigation into Drax, the largest biomass electricity generator.