According to the association, sustainable biomass offers a proven, practical, secure source of low carbon energy as part of a balanced energy mix.
With the Back Biomass campaign, the group aims to deliver the clear message to government officials that it must not let the opportunity to reap the benefits of this flexible and affordable technology slip away as they fix the details and levels of future support for planned projects over the coming months.
The UK government has committed to making decisions on the Renewables Obligation (RO) by the end of 2011, to set support levels applicable to renewable electricity generation and combined heat and power from 2013 to 2017.
To ensure confidence is maintained and projects proceed, the biomass sector is calling on government to ensure that decisions taken not only provide sufficient levels of support to leverage the huge sums of private investment required, but are taken on time.
Until industry and investors receive clarity, many projects hang in the balance, the association says.
Among those attending the launch of the campaign, was Energy Minister Charles Hendry, who said, “We want a balanced energy portfolio and we want biomass to play a central role in this”.
“Biomass electricity is both predictable and controllable and I am very interested in the potential for co-firing and conversion,” he continued. “I am confident that the bioenergy industry can deliver our ambition for around 6GW of biomass electricity by 2020, as set out in our Renewables Roadmap.”
“The UK industry has been at the forefront in ensuring biomass electricity is sustainable and that it delivers real greenhouse gas savings,” Hendry added. “The very clear sustainability criteria we now have in place will mean we know where biomass has come from and how it has been grown.”
Gaynor Hartnell, Chief Executive of the REA, said that it is highly significant that the UK government recently increased its goals for power generation from biomass.
“There are a number of large projects in development that would produce very cost-effective renewable electricity and can deliver steady baseload power,” Hartnell said. “Their contribution towards our legally-binding renewables target is essential.
“They had been delayed by a policy glitch, but the new government swiftly resolved this,” Hartnell added. “ Provided support levels are maintained in the forthcoming banding review, government can look forward to these plants making their contribution towards meeting the UK’s targets.”
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