Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 5
22nd Report - Government’s support for biomass
Published 25 Apr 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Government support for biomass All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
There are number of risks to the supply of biomass that need effective management. DESNZ’s Biomass Strategy identified a number of challenges for its use in the future which it needs to manage, including making sure that it has a secure supply of biomass and that it prioritises its use. In 2022, around two–thirds of biomass used in electricity generation, heat and transport was produced from domestic sources, with a third imported. The Department describes itself as agnostic as to whether biomass is sourced domestically or from overseas. However, the Climate Change Committee’s most recent advice, covering Carbon Budget 7, suggests that sustainable biomass will become harder to source on global markets. It therefore expects imports of biomass to have ceased by 2050, with domestic sources providing all the biomass required. But there are competing pressures on land use at home–for example, food production and reforestation. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is currently consulting on a ‘Land Use Framework’ which will help inform 6 decisions on how best to use land to meet government’s various priorities. Meanwhile importing biomass involves long supply chains, which makes assuring sustainability criteria are met challenging. Such challenges may be amplified by the USA’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. recommendation DESNZ should make sure it has an approach in place for identifying and then mitigating the risks to the supply of biomass, both domestically and internationally. 7 1 Biomass sustainability and supply Introduction
From: Public Accounts Committee, 22nd Report - Government’s support for biomass (HC 715), 25 April 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-second Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-second report from Session 2024-25
Published 10 July 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on biomass, with target implementation dates between autumn 2025 and spring 2027, but disagrees on adding BECCS transition clauses to the Drax contract and says the KPMG reports are not a matter for it.
- On assessing its sustainability assurance approach, the government agrees, with a target date of autumn 2025, and says it is reflecting on evaluation and audit processes for the new Drax contract. It states the Ofgem investigation is evidence "the current assurance regime is working well".
- On a new oversight regime, the government agrees (target December 2025) and is "considering options to publish" its sustainability enforcement plans under the new Drax contract. It says any additional Ofgem oversight responsibilities "must be considered in the round".
- The government disagrees with adding clauses to the transitional support agreement to prompt Drax to transition to BECCS. It says such requirements would expose the government to "an unacceptable level of legal risk" until a full assessment of power BECCS is finalised.
- On the KPMG reports, the government says "This is not a matter for the government to consider", as the reports remain Drax's property and it is for Drax to decide whether to release them.