On the 1st October, the Government
published its response to the Committee on Climate Change’s 2020 (CCC) progress
report assessing the steps that have been taken to support the country’s
transition towards net zero emissions over the past year, and laying out a
number of recommendations on what the government should focus on moving
forward.
Biomass is an essential part of the bio-economy
as it represents a source of sustainable, renewable and low-carbon feedstock
for bioenergy. In response to the growing awareness of the role of biomass in
achieving net zero aspirations through its use in construction and industrial
applications, the Government has begun to develop a “cross-government
Biomass Strategy that will look at how biomass should be sourced and used
across the economy to best contribute to [the UK’s] net zero target.” Additional
considerations have also been added to the wider UK Bioenergy Strategy
framework concerning the production and best-uses of biomass and waste
feedstock, more specifically wood.
The Government reaffirmed its
objective to maintain coal-to-biomass conversion as a transitional means of
generating electricity, and is looking to cut all financial support to biomass
conversion at the end of 2027, including allocations from the Contracts for
Difference (CfD) scheme which aims to support low-carbon electricity generation.
An emphasis was also put on widening the use of biofuels, such as low-carbon
electricity, hydrogen and bioenergy, for military aircrafts, ships and land
vehicles.
Finally, the importance of
supporting and developing Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technology across biomass
and waste treatment facilities was highlighted and clear dates for the
integration of CCS in such facilities will be set. In an effort to support and spark the
transition towards C sequestration, the Government pledged to increase afforestation
across the country. This commitment was also made in recognition to the
multiple invaluable ecosystem services that forests supply, such as reducing
flood risks, enhancing biodiversity and providing sustainable feedstock for the
bio-economy.
The Government will publish a Net Zero Review in
spring 2021 which will lay out the terms under which the decarbonisation process
will be funded, detailing the distribution of costs between public and private
funds and highlighting the short- and long-term funding schemes and policies
required to complete the transition by 2050.