Seven UK energy trade bodies have sent Minister Graham Stuart a letter welcoming the UK Government's recently published Biomass Strategy. The trade bodies are encouraged by the strong evidence-based approach in the strategy and reiterate industry support for the development of a cross-sectoral common sustainability framework. However, they also call on the Government to act urgently to ensure that bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) can be delivered at all scales.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
Released by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) on August 10, 2023, the Biomass Strategy makes clear that sustainable, well-regulated biomass is a vital tool for helping to deliver Net Zero across power, heat, and transport.
It considers the global availability of sustainable biomass, finding that by using domestic and imported biomass sources there is sufficient material to meet estimated future demand in the 6th Carbon Budget.
Alongside the publication of the Strategy, the Government has published an evidence-based assessment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) as a route to negative emissions.
The report sets out how “well-regulated” BECCS can deliver negative emissions and ensure positive outcomes for people, the environment, and the climate.
The trade bodies – Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), Energy UK, Wood Recyclers Association (WRA), Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), UK Pellet Council (UKPC), and Coalition for Negative Emissions – welcome the fact that the Strategy recognizes the complexity of the sector and has taken a strong evidence-based approach to the development of the Strategy.
The joint letter to Minister Graham Stuart also reiterates industry support for the development of a cross-sectoral common sustainability framework.
The Strategy reiterates the Government’s ambition to deliver 5 million tonnes per annum (tpa) of carbon removals by 2030, with the potential for this to increase to 23 million tonnes by 2035 and up to 81 million tonnes by 2050, with BECCS expected to provide the majority of the total in 2050.
In the period to 2035, Government intends to facilitate the use of biomass for power and heating, whilst supporting projects transitioning to BECCS. Such projects are seen as a priority use of biomass given existing generation assets with established supply chains and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology ready to be deployed.
The joint letter warns that there is an urgent need to go further in the next few months. It is critical that Ministers provide workable routes to market for “negative emissions” made possible by BECCS.
Government must act now to make it possible to deliver BECCS at all scales, or we will be left without a crucial tool for tackling climate change, the letter read.
Drax is ready to deliver
One such potential BECCS project is Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire, and in a separate statement, Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group welcomed the “clear support for sustainably sourced biomass and the critical role that BECCS can play in achieving the country’s climate goals.”
The inclusion of BECCS at the top of a priority use framework is a clear signal that the UK wants to be a leader in carbon removals and Drax is ready to deliver on this ambition. We are engaged in formal discussions with the UK Government about the project and, providing these are successful, we plan to invest billions in delivering BECCS at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, simultaneously providing reliable, renewable power and carbon removals. We look forward to working alongside the Government to ensure biomass is best used to contribute to net zero across the economy, through a further progression of plans for BECCS and ensuring an evidence-driven, best-practice approach to sustainability, Will Gardiner said.
rDME can displace LPG in off-grid heating
In a similar vein Sophia Haywood, Head of Advocacy and Communication at Dimeta B.V., the joint venture of SHV Energy BV, and UGI International, also welcomed the launch of the Biomass Strategy and its recognition of the role renewable liquid gases, such as renewable and recycled carbon dimethyl ether (rDME), can play in decarbonizing hard-to-electrify off-grid heating such as by displacing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Giving rural homes and businesses choice is critical to delivering a ‘just transition’ to Net Zero, and hopefully, this signals a move away from the ‘one size fits all’ approach that has previously been front and centre in the UK. Research shows that a mix of renewable liquid gases, heat pumps, and hybrids can deliver savings of over 7 billion (GBP) and still reach the Net Zero requirements – there is no need to pick winners. Now that the strategy is launched, the UK must focus on delivering and growing domestic production of renewable fuels. At Dimeta, we look forward to contributing to this effort as the first company bringing renewable & recycled carbon DME to the UK market in 2025, following our 150m investment into a first-of-a-kind waste-to-DME plant in Teesside. The plant will produce over 50 000 tonnes of rDME from waste – the equivalent of 25 percent of the LPG domestic heating sector—a huge step forward for reducing emissions in the LPG Industry. We look forward to working with policymakers and industry to make this a reality and ensure off-grid areas are part of a just energy transition towards a greener, more circular economy, Sophia Haywood said.
