Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Deferred
Paragraph: 83
Accelerated deployment pace needed to achieve 70 GW solar capacity by 2035.
Conclusion
The Government’s aim for 70 GW of solar capacity to be installed by 2035 is welcome. Achieving this goal will require the UK to ramp up the pace at which new solar capacity is deployed. We therefore welcome the Government’s announcement of a solar roadmap and the establishment of a dedicated government/industry taskforce. We strongly welcome the Government’s clarification that it is not planning to change the classification of agricultural land in ways which would constrain the expansion of the UK’s solar capacity.
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses its commitment to developing a business model for power BECCS and its support for existing biomass generating stations, rather than addressing the committee's welcome for solar capacity targets or the solar roadmap.
Paragraph Reference:
83
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
57. The Government has committed to developing a business model for power BECCS, which could support the conversion of eligible biomass power stations to BECCS plants, subject to value for money and access to carbon transport and storage infrastructure. The Government is working closely with bioenergy generators planning a transition to power BECCS to help facilitate their conversion. The Government is supportive of the role that power BECCS could play in reducing carbon emissions across the economy through generation of negative emissions, as well as providing low carbon power contributing to security of supply, which is a priority for this Government. 58. The Government has no plans to remove support prior to 2027 for biomass generating stations that are already supported under the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Contracts for Difference (CfD). Such generators undertook their investments in establishing their stations under these schemes and have a statutory right to their existing support, as set out in the schemes’ implementing legislation. In the Biomass Strategy Policy Statement, the Government stated its intention for future large-scale biomass- based electricity generation to not be supported without the addition of CCS. Any small or medium-scale new unabated biomass power plants (if awarded a Contract for Difference) must meet updated GHG emission criteria for their supply chains, which could potentially incentivise the use of locally sourced wastes.