Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 8
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)
DESNZ has set two criteria—for land use and with respect to greenhouse gases—for all the schemes that support the use of biomass which require biomass users to demonstrate that the fuel they burn comes from sustainable sources.9 Ofgem administers, on behalf of DESNZ, most of the schemes that provide financial support for biomass in power and heating, including registering participants on to schemes and monitoring compliance with sustainability and other scheme criteria.10 Generators with a capacity of more than 1 megawatt are required to submit monthly data on sustainability to Ofgem. The generator is not required to share with Ofgem evidence to support its monthly submission (but must hold this evidence). Compliance with one of the criteria—land use—can be shown through a recognised certification scheme.11
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.