Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications of that report for the future of biomass energy in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

The report shows that biomass, when sourced responsibly, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy. We are committed to improving further the evidence base on the carbon impacts of heat and power generation from biomass. A programme of work is underway to understand the likelihood of the various scenarios developed in the report.

This Government has introduced some of the toughest sustainability criteria in the world and we have taken steps to strengthen them further, introducing a trajectory of tightening GHG standards and a requirement to demonstrate that wood is sourced only from sustainably managed forests; together with reporting requirements which will allow us to assess how biomass is being sourced.