Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the current subsidy arrangement with Drax includes support for burning old growth forest wood in its power station.

Sustainability criteria require biomass to be legally harvested, and comply with any applicable legislation in the countries of origin to protect primary forest and old growth areas. Old growth sources are not excluded as some jurisdictions permit harvesting for valid reasons, such as fire prevention or disease control.

We have not seen evidence that the bioenergy industry drives harvesting decisions as it accepts low-value residues which would otherwise become waste.

Nevertheless, we have introduced an explicit exclusion for primary material harvested in old-growth areas in the new contract to eliminate this risk.