Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to make the approval of wood-burning power stations to be built after 2027 contingent on parliamentary approval.

Ensuring the electricity system is reliable, as well as net zero consistent, means variable renewables, such as wind and solar, need to be complemented by technologies which can provide dispatchable or baseload power.

Biomass electricity generation can provide this flexibility and plays a key role in delivering a more secure, clean energy sector in Britain.

Parliamentary approval was granted for the updated energy National Policy Statements on 17 January 2024. This covers the use of biomass in electricity generation at the scale of Nationally Significant Infrastructure under the Planning Act (which applies to projects in England and Wales).