Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason his Department provided renewable subsidies to Drax for the burning of imported wood.

The Renewables Obligation and Contracts for Difference schemes were set up to support the establishment of new low-carbon electricity generation projects, helping to reduce reliance on fossils fuels. Sustainable biomass can be used to produce renewable and low-carbon electricity. It has numerous system benefits from dispatchability to inertia, with stable established supply chains, providing energy security within a net zero consistent energy system.

The Government only supports sustainable biomass and generators only receive subsidies for biomass that complies with the UK’s strict sustainability criteria.