Bioenergy and its contribution to UK Net Zero objectives

Earlier this week cross-party Peers and MPs attended a briefing in parliament to learn more about the environmental and financial sustainability of bioenergy in the UK.

Key takeaways from the session included:

• Biomass currently makes up around 6.5% of UK electricity generation.

• It is estimated that by 2027 the Government will have spent £13bn subsidising biomass.

• There remain questions around the sustainability of burning biomass and the responsibility that lies with biomass operators for the carbon debt that is created, and permanently lost when replacing primary forest with plantations.

• Biomass in the UK is very reliant on imports, and this could raise security of supply issues.

• There are efforts underway to ensure bioenergy can be as sustainable as possible, through technology known as BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage), which stores the carbon released in the process using carbon capture technologies.

Peers heard that going forwards it will be crucial that we get the policy correct in the UK as the rest of the world is watching and could follow suit.

This private briefing was organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Environment, CEN, and Peers for the Planet.