Thank you for contacting me about subsidies for biomass electricity generation and emissions.
I would like to assure you that the Government continues to recognise climate change as one of the most serious long-term threats that this country and the world face.
The UK only supports biomass for electricity generation which complies with strict sustainability criteria, and I understand that generating stations utilising biomass only receive subsidies in respect of compliant biomass. These criteria take into account social, economic and environmental issues including protecting biodiversity and ecosystems, land use rights, sustainable harvesting and regeneration rates. The criteria also ensure that the carbon stock of the forest from which the pellets are derived is not decreased by requiring that biomass fuels are derived from forest waste wood and residues and that the forest owner adheres to relevant legal requirements to protect biodiversity and the environment. The Government recognises that it is vital to ensure any negative impacts on the environment, including on air quality, from the use of biomass are fully understood and mitigated
The UK has already made excellent progress and is setting an example to the rest of the world, between 1990 and 2024 the UK has cut emissions by 50 per cent the first major economy to do so, you can read more about it here.
