Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Acknowledged
Long biomass supply chains complicate sustainability verification and carbon accounting reliability.
Conclusion
Importing biomass involves long supply chains, which make it difficult to be sure that it is produced from genuinely sustainable sources.50 We are also concerned that recent international developments may undermine the system of carbon accounting that underpins the current supply of 39 C&AG’s Report, para 3.2 40 C&AG’S Report, para 1.4 41 C&AG’S Report, para 3.3 42 Climate Change Committee, The Seventh Carbon Budget, February 2025, Section 7.7 43 Bio0012 44 Climate Change Committee, The Seventh Carbon Budget, February 2025, page 272 45 Q 49 46 Q 57 47 Q 57 48 C&AG’s Report, para 3.4 49 Bio0003, Bio0005, Bio0008 50 C&AG’s Report, para 9 13 sustainable biomass.51 Under current carbon accounting rules, emissions from the burning of biomass are accounted for by the country from which the fuel was sourced, an approach we were very critical of in our report on the government’s carbon capture usage and storage programme. The bulk of wood pellets burnt in biomass power generation in the UK come from the US, which has removed itself from the Paris Agreement.52 In written evidence received after our evidence session Drax set out that the US remains party to the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change which requires that countries submit national greenhouse Gas Inventories in line with international standards.53 51 Q 65 52 Qq 62, 63 53 Letter from Drax, 17 March 2025 14 2 Future interventions Transitional support for Drax, 2027–2031
Government Response Summary
DESNZ officials continue to monitor the international and domestic biomass supply landscape, but state that international pellet supply will continue to be vital, as UK biomass pellet production at a comparable scale would not be possible.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
5.2 DESNZ officials continue to monitor the international and domestic biomass supply landscape, ensuring that the government is abreast of changes to regulatory arrangements, market dynamics, and other factors that drive the supply of and demand for pellets. 5.3 However, it is important to note that international pellet supply will continue to be vital to the delivery of UK electricity generation in the coming years. Most pellets used in the UK are sourced from the United States, where the availability of plentiful secondary materials and residue for pellet production - coupled with a robust, efficient supply chain - ensures that a reliable supply of pellets is available to meet the needs of UK generators. 5.4 Biomass pellet production at a comparable scale would not be possible in the UK given the size and productivity of available forest resources. 5.5 However, smaller-scale biomass generators can continue to be supplied by a variety of domestically sourced feedstock including wood waste, poultry litter and agricultural waste. These waste feedstocks provide a reliable source of domestic biomass supply but are not suitable for the technologies currently used by larger-scale generators.