August 2016 biomass faqs

This briefing is intended to provide detailed information about the effects of wood-based biomass electricity, and about the scale of and the subsidies for it in the UK. We focus primarily on biomass electricity rather than biomass heating because, in the UK, the vast majority of wood burned for energy is burned in power stations, and because most imported wood is burned for electricity. If anything is not clear or your need information on something else we haven’t discussed, please drop us an email at [email protected].

What is biomass? Does burning biomass destroy forests? How? What about burning biomass other than wood, e.g. straw or miscanthus? Isn’t it just waste wood and residues which are being burned? Isn’t biomass carbon neutral or at least low-carbon? Can biomass ever be sustainable and low carbon? Is biomass electricity renewable energy? Does biomass pollute? How does this affect people’s health? How efficient is biomass electricity? What about Combined Heat and Power biomass? Is this more efficient/green? How much Biomass is currently being burnt for electricity in the UK? How much wood could be burned for electricity in the UK in future

Hasn’t the UK government introduced rules under which only sustainable and low- carbon biomass will be subsidised? Why and how is biomass subsidised in the UK? How does the UK’s support for biomass compare to that for wind and solar power? Have local campaigns against biomass power stations been successful in the UK? References and notes

biomass faq • august 2016 • 1 what is biomass?

Biomass refers to any organic industries including fisheries and grasses, rather than liquid fuels matter derived from organisms aquaculture, as well as the made from biomass, which are which are or recently were alive. In biodegradable fraction of called biofuels (when used for the context of energy, the EU industrial and municipal waste” transport) or bioloqiuids, nor defines biomass as “the (Renewable Energy Directive, Article biogas, which is produced through biodegradable fraction of 2(e). anaerobic digestion of biomass. products, waste and residues from Bioenergy can come from biomass, biological origin from agriculture The term ‘biomass’ is commonly biofuels/bioliquids, or biogas. (including vegetal and animal used to describe solid biomass used substances), forestry and related for energy, such as wood, straw, or DOES BURNING BIOMASS DESTROY FORESTS? HOW?

On the current scale that we are the biggest pellet producer in the as well as journalists, have demanding biomass, yes – and if US. Conservation NGOs such as documented how Enviva is sourcing demand rises as expected, it would Dogwood Alliance and Natural wood for pellet plants from the destroy forests on a far a greater Resources Defense Council (NRDC), clearcutting of highly biodiverse scale than today. Excessive as well as journalists, have coastal wetland forests. demand for wood – especially in the documented how Enviva is sourcing global North - is one of the main wood for pellet plants from the Experience with the global pulp and underlying causes of deforestation clearcutting of highly biodiverse paper industry shows that and forest degradation worldwide. coastal wetland forests. clearcutting of biodiverse forests is [1] Anything that further drives up often followed by the establishment the demand for wood is going to Perhaps the strongest evidence of of monoculture tree plantations. worsen this situation. direct impacts on forests comes Rich forest ecosystems, which from the southern US, and provide habitat for thousands of Negative impacts may be direct or specifically from Drax’s main US species and play an important role indirect. Perhaps the strongest supplier, Enviva. Enviva is the in nutrient cycling and in regional evidence of direct impacts on biggest pellet producer in the US. rainfall cycles are thus lost forever. forests comes from the southern Conservation NGOs such as Industrial tree plantations on the US, and specifically from Drax’s Dogwood Alliance and Natural other hand provide habitat for very main US supplier, Enviva. Enviva is Resources Defense Council (NRDC), few species, deplete soils and freshwater, and often require aerial spraying with agro-chemicals. Clearcutting of coastal swamp forests in North Carolina, which supplies wood to an Enviva pellet mill. Dogwood Alliance Indirect impacts are, by their nature, more difficult to prove. However, a greater demand for wood will always drive up wood prices, which encourages more intensive and extensive logging, and more land conversion to tree plantations worldwide. Sawmill residues or waste wood that are burned for energy might otherwise have been used to make paper, panel board, or other products. This can force those other industries to resort to more destructive logging instead.

biomass faq • august 2016 • 2 What about burning biomass other than wood, e.g. straw or miscanthus?

The vast majority of biomass depletes and erodes soils and stops driver of deforestation in South burned for electricity in the UK, the them from holding enough water, America. EU and worldwide is wood. Most thus making crops more vulnerable converted coal power stations, to drought. Agricultural residues Perennial grasses and short- including Drax and in future serve other purposes, too: In parts rotation coppicing, for example of Lynemouth Power Station can only of the England, for example, pig willow and poplar, are often burn high-quality wood pellets, farmers rely heavily on purchasing promoted as a sustainable source which means wood pellets made straw from cereal farmers. There of bioenergy. However, all of them from slow-growing trees with little are serious concerns that burning rely on land and compete with bark. [2] of straw in power stations could either food production or wildlife push up straw prices so much that habitats – just as biofuel plantations Agricultural residues and ‘energy some pig farmers would go out of do already. Despite subsidies, crops’ have long been promoted as business. [3] This could harm farmers have been reluctant to bioenergy, but there are serious forests and the climate too: if small- convert land to short-rotation problems with using such sources scale pig farmers who keep free- ‘energy crops’. Less UK land is used on a large scale. Agricultural range pigs are forced out of for miscanthus or short-rotation residues are of great importance for business, they will ultimately be coppicing today than it was in 2009. maintaining soil carbon and soil replaced by industrial factory [4] There is no evidence that similar fertility and thus future crop yields. farming, which relies heavily on plantations have been successful in Removing too many of them imported soya, which is a major other countries either. ISN’T IT JUST WASTE WOOD OR residues WHICH are BEING BURNED?

Whole logs used by Enviva to make pellets, many of which are burned by Drax in the Much of it will UK, Photo: Dogwood Aliance have been chemically treated. Almost 700,000 tonnes of waste wood were burned in the UK in 2014/15, out of a total of 15 million tonnes of wood. [5] Waste wood thus accounts for less than 5% of the UK’s electricity from wood. Not all power stations burning wood are Energy companies and proponents Across the EU, burning waste wood technically capable and/or of large-scale biomass burning is regulated in the same way as permitted to burn waste wood, and often claim that only waste wood burning other forms of waste. The no converted coal power station in and residues are being burned, but term refers to wood which has been the UK could burn it. evidence shows otherwise. used for another purpose in the past, for example for construction.

biomass faq • august 2016 • 3 In 2012, the Government timber’. They now argue that it is pellet use as ‘residues’ but, at the department Defra published a the demand for high-quality and same time, states that 76-100% of review of research into the UK’s high-value timber by sawmills which them were made from saw logs! waste wood market. [6] It found is responsible for the clearcutting of that the UK is a net importer of forests such as southern US wetland The UK follows the European waste wood and showed that the forests. They argue that all of the Commission’s guidance which fact that a small and reduced wood used for biomass electricity defines processing residues as “a proportion of waste wood still ends effectively constituted residues, left substance that is not the end up in landfill is due to insufficient over after sawmills have taken and product(s) that a production segregated collections, not to a lack used the wood they need. [8] process directly seeks to produce. of demand for waste wood. The However, as the US conservation It is not a primary aim of the wood panel industry was the largest NGO Dogwood Alliance has production process and the consumer of waste wood until 2013, explained, what Drax calls process has not been deliberately when it was overtaken by the ‘residues’ accounts for 70% of a modified to produce it.” In relation energy companies. clearcut forest in the southern to ‘forestry residues’, it simply US. Without the demand for wood states: “forestry residues are The term ‘residues’, on the other which sawmills cannot use, there residues that are directly produced hand, is far more ambiguous and would be no incentive for forest by ... forestry; they do not include thus open to abuse. When owners to clearcut entire forests. [9] residues from related industries or conservation NGOs started And out of the 30% of wood that processing”. [11] publishing photographic evidence might go to sawmills, up to 50% that pellet mills supplying Drax were will be discarded as become a Effectively, the term ‘forestry using huge quantities of whole logs, ‘sawmill residue’ which may also residues’ is not defined at all! This [7] Drax and their supporters, be used for biomass energy. [10] is why industry is getting away with including in the UK’s Green Interestingly, Drax, in its report classing the wood they burn – most Investment Bank, continued to class to the electricity regulator of which comes from whole trees – those logs as ‘residues’ or ‘low-grade Ofgem, classifies nearly all of its as ‘low grade’ and ‘residues’. Isn’t Biomass carbon neutral or at least low-carbon?

Biomass is widely classed as energy companies to class biomass several reasons: [13] inherently ‘carbon neutral’. This is burning as carbon neutral opened the result of what scientists have the door to massive subsidies for 1. For the climate, it makes no described as a serious ‘carbon bioenergy. Meanwhile, systems difference at all what the different accounting error’. [12] accounting for emissions from sources of CO2 emissions are. The

logging or land use change are CO2 emitted from bioenergy causes It goes back to negotiations notoriously poor and flawed, and global warming in the same way as preceding the Kyoto Protocol, when there are no incentives for reducing CO2 emitted from burning fossil it was decided that all emissions emissions related to imported fuels. Ignoring any type of associated with logging, biomass at all. greenhouse gas emissions might deforestation and other land help companies and policymakers, conversion associated with In reality, biomass electricity always but it can never help the climate; bioenergy should be attributed to results in greater smokestack the land use and forestry sector, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than 2. If trees were not cut down for rather than to the energy sector. electricity from coal (for the same bioenergy then they would continue

This was to avoid the same amount of electricity generated). to grow and to sequester CO2. Yes, emissions being counted twice. But ‘Carbon neutrality’ means that trees and other vegetation might in reality, it has led to them being those emissions are ignored grow back and absorb CO2 in future ignored altogether: policies aimed entirely, based on the assumption – as they would have continued at reducing emissions from the that future plant growth will doing in the absence of any logging energy sector only look at emissions sequester all of that CO2 again: but or land conversion for bioenergy. in that particular sector. So allowing this is a false assumption for Overall, bioenergy still results in

biomass faq • august 2016 • 4 more CO2 in the atmosphere and especially when they are clearcut. machines rely on diesel, and less CO2 sequestered; Even when forests are left to shipping or trucking biomass relies regenerate, rather than being on fossil fuels, too. However, those 3. Even in the most optimistic logged again and again, this can fossil fuel emissions are scenario, it takes decades for a new take a very long time, even acknowledged by the UK tree to grow back and re-absorb all centuries. In reality, logged forests government and have to be of the carbon emitted when burning are often converted to other land accounted for, while the smokestack an existing tree. So when trees are uses, including to monoculture tree CO2 emissions and the emissions logged for energy, there will always plantations, which store far less associated with logging are ignored. be extra CO2 in the atmosphere for carbon; a period of several decades. This is A list of scientific articles about the called the ‘carbon debt’, and it is a 5. Healthy forests play a major climate impacts of wood-based debt which we cannot afford role in regulating the rainfall cycle, biomass can be found at because climate science shows that storm tracks and the nitrogen cycle biofuelwatch.org.uk/biomass- we must drastically reduce carbon too, all of which are vitally resources/resources-on-biomass/. emissions now if we want to have important for a stable climate. any chance of avoiding the worst Industrial tree plantations on the impacts of climate change; other hand deplete soils and freshwater. 4. When forests are logged, they may not fully recover for a much There are often significant fossil fuel longer period, if ever. A lot of emissions associated with biomass carbon sequestered in forests is energy: It takes a lot of energy to found in soils, and soil carbon is lost chip wood and far more still to turn when forests are logged and it into wood pellets. Logging

biomass faq • august 2016 • 5 Can biomass ever be sustainable and low-carbon?

The impacts of biomass energy Small-scale use of local biomass by inefficient way of capturing solar depend both on the sourcing of the local rural communities can have a energy. Even fast-growing trees biomass and, even more lower-impact than the alternatives, convert just 1% of the solar energy importantly, on the scale. Burning i.e. fossil fuel burning – especially they receive into biomass energy biomass will always emit carbon when used for heating in off-grid [15] - and the majority of that is into the atmosphere. However, areas. But there is no way that then lost as uncaptured heat when there is a big difference between an biomass can sustainably replace a the biomass is burned in power inefficient power station such as significant proportion of fossil fuel stations. On the other hand, a 15% Drax, which burns wood sourced use. That’s because biomass, conversion efficiency of sunlight to from clearcutting large forests on especially biomass electricity, has a energy would be considered the one hand, and coppicing trees much higher land footprint than relatively low for a solar PV system. to provide efficient local heating for any other form of energy. [14] It has [16] a rural community on the other such a high land footprint because hand. photosynthesis is an extremely Is biomass electricity renewable energy?

The EU Renewable Energy Directive energy such as sustainable wind far longer to grow than they take to defines all biomass as renewable, and solar power. cut down and burn for energy. regardless of how it is produced or procured. [17] Biomass is therefore However, the classification of Biofuelwatch has joined 131 other also classified as renewable energy biomass as renewable energy civil society groups in calling on the in the UK, and currently accounts cannot be reconciled with the EU to exclude biomass (as well as for a large share of the UK’s so International Energy Agency’s biofuels) from the scope of the EU called ‘renewable energy’. [18] In definition of renewable energy, Renewable Energy Directive: reality, biomass allows energy which is: “energy derived from biofuelwatch.org.uk/2016/bioenerg companies to attract vast subsidies natural processes (e.g. sunlight yout-declaration/. for dirty energy falsely classed as and wind) that are replenished at ‘renewable’, rather than having to a faster rate than they are invest in genuinely renewable consumed”. [19] Clearly, trees take DOES BIOMASS POLLUTE? HOW DOES it AFFECT People’s health?

Yes. Biomass power stations emit a function, inflammation and host PM2.5, meaning that the slightest similar range and volume of air defence against pulmonary emissions of PM2.5 from a power pollutants as coal power stations, infections station can harm health. albeit more of some pollutants and less of others. Compared to coal • Carbon monoxide (CO): inhibits • Sulphur Dioxide: Can result in burning, biomass burning emits the blood’s ability to carry oxygen to breathing problems for asthmatic more Volatile Organic Compounds vital organs such as the heart and children and shortness of breath. but less sulphur dioxide and less brain. mercury. [20] • Heavy Metals and Dioxins and • Particulates: PM exposure affects Furans: Toxic and carcinogenic to These are some of the effects of the the respiratory and cardiovascular human health. Even ‘clean’ pollutants released by biomass systems in children and adults and untreated wood can contain high combustion on human health: extends to a number of large, concentrations of heavy metals susceptible groups within the which when burnt can release

• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2): can general population. There are no dioxins and furans. Dioxin affect lung metabolism, structure, safe levels for small particulates emissions are particularly high

biomass faq • august 2016 • 6 when power plants are shut down Biomass power stations pose a clear increasing in the UK. They and fired up risk to local communities who live accounted for 17% of PM2.5 nearby, and especially to vulnerable emissions in 2013, only marginally Burning chemically treated waste groups, i.e. people with underlying less than the 18% from all road wood emits more different health problems such as asthma, transport.” [21] pollutants and much greater children, pregnant women, and concentrations of some pollutants elderly people. However, across the compared to burning virgin wood. whole of the EU and UK population, This is discussed in detail in Chapter the health impacts of domestic 3 of our report: Biomass – the Chain wood stoves are especially severe. of Destruction: An article published in the British biofuelwatch.org.uk/2013/chain-of- Medical Journal, warns: “Emissions destruction/. from domestic wood burning are HOW EFFICIENT IS BIOMASS ELECTRICITY?

Electricity from biomass is It is worth being aware that extremely inefficient. According ‘conversion efficiency’ only looks at to the International Renewable the efficiency of the power station Energy Agency, conventional itself. It takes no account of the biomass power stations are energy used, for example, to chip typically just 23-25% efficient, [22] wood or to turn it into pellets. which means that they waste 75- 77% of the biomass energy as uncaptured waste heat. Efficiency increases with the size of a plant, so large biomass power stations tend to be more efficient than smaller ones and may reach efficiency rates as ‘high’ as 35%, which still means wasting 65% of the energy in the wood. Drax probably achieves the highest conversion efficiency of any biomass burning power station that doesn’t make use of heat: around 38%. On the other hand some small plants, in particular small biomass gasification units which have been proposed in the UK would reach efficiency rates of just 20% or even less.

Note that under EU Renewable Energy Directive the UK is meant to be promoting biomass technologies which provide at least 70% efficiency rates. [23]

biomass faq • august 2016 • 7 What about combined heat and power with biomass? Is this more efficient and sustainable?

Most of the energy generated by CHP’ with even lower efficiencies. scrutinise these claims closely: A power stations is wasted as Once a biomass power plant is ‘Heat Supply Feasibility Assessment’ uncaptured heat. Capturing and classed as ‘Good Quality CHP’, it is not the same as a commitment to using some or all of that heat will automatically qualifies for a higher actually supply heat to anybody. therefore make plants more rate of subsidies if built before Any power station is technically efficient. An efficient Combined March 2017, and it can apply for capable of supplying heat. The Heat and Power (CHP) plant can even more generous subsidies if questions are whether there are achieve 80% efficiency or even built after that date, which nearby industries and properties more. [24] electricity-only biomass plants will with a demand for this heat, and not get. whether anybody is going to pay for However, just because a biomass the heat pipes. Heat pipes are not plant is classified as ‘CHP’, it does 35% efficiency is lower than the cheap and in the UK, there has been not mean that it will be efficient. efficiency of many coal power very little investment in district stations which don’t use any heat at heating networks. If an energy It is important to look at how all. And it is much lower than the company does not promise to much of its heat actually gets average efficiency of a modern gas install such heat pipes, then they used. Using just a small fraction of power station. The ‘Good Quality cannot be expected to actually the waste heat will make little CHP’ definition basically allows any supply any heat. difference to the plant’s overall operator of a biomass power capacity. The Government station to take advantage of ‘CHP’ It is also important to remember classifies medium-size and large subsidies by using a tiny amount of that efficient is not the same as biomass power stations as ‘Good heat, possibly just for drying the sustainable. Degrading and Quality CHP” if they achieve as woodchips they are going to burn in destroying forests for biomass little as 35% overall efficiency. the plant. energy will never be sustainable, This is just half the efficiency level regardless how efficiently the wood which the EU’s Renewable Energy In planning applications, many is burned. Directive says governments should developers make optimistic claims be promoting. Smaller power about the amount of heat they stations can qualify as ‘Good Quality could supply. It is important to HOW MUCH BIOMASS IS CURRENTLY BEING BURNT FOR ELECTRICITY IN THE UK?

According to the most recent Ofgem • Nearly 700,000 tonnes of UK Canada and the Baltic States a joint data, pellets and woodchips made waste wood were burned for second. Ironbridge Power Station from almost 15 million tonnes of electricity. Since 2013, biomass has burned pellets made from just over wood were burned in UK power overtaken panelboard production 2 million tonnes of wood, most of station. [25] By comparison, the as the single biggest use for waste them from the southern US. UK’s total wood production is 11 wood; [27] Ironbridge Power Station has since million tonnes a year. [26] been closed, but large new import- • All imported wood burned for reliant power station projects are • Just over 3 million tonnes of virgin electricity has so far been burned underway (see below). wood from the UK were burned in converted coal power stations. In for electricity, which is 29% of the 2014/15, Drax burned imported • Drax power station continues to UK’s entire annual wood pellets made from 9.1 million burn more biomass than any other production; tonnes of wood. Most of those company. In 2015, they burned came from the southern US, with pellets made from around 12

biomass faq • august 2016 • 8 million tonnes of wood (even more biofuelwatch.org.uk/axedrax- wood pellets for energy in the than during the period 2014/15), as campaign/. world, and, in turn, the UK is the well as 6 million tonnes of coal. For largest consumer in the EU. [28] full details about Drax, their In 2015, Drax burned more than biomass and coal burning, their one-fifth of the global wood pellet subsidies, and the campaign to production. The EU is by far the #AxeDrax, see: biggest consumer and importer of

HOW Much wood could be burned for electricity in the UK in future?

In addition to the 2014/15 figures company EPH. They will be burning biomass power stations which summarised above, biomass power pellets made from around 3 million would each be as big as the one station projects which, between tonnes of wood a year. Much of the being built by MGT Power at them, could burn over 23 million wood will come from Enviva, who Teesport, though one media report tonnes of wood a year have been also supply Drax, and who have says that one of the two plants may approved or have recently opened – been shown to use wood from be even larger. One of the power not including smaller plants of less clearcut biodiverse coastal swamp stations would be built in Port than 15 MW capacity (i.e. ones that forests. See here for more details Talbot, the other in Holyhead, would burn less than 150,000 about this project: Anglesey. Planning permissions for tonnes of wood annually). Not all of biofuelwatch.org.uk/2016/lynemout biomass power stations this size the biomass plants that have been h-briefing/; were granted in the past, but it is approved are likely to be built. not clear in how far they However, capacity for burning over • A massive 299 MW power which correspond with Orthios Energy’s 6 million tonnes of wood a year has UK company MGT Power is about to plans. See here for more recently been opened, is under build at Teesport. This will burn up information: construction, or will start being to 3 million tonnes of wood a year. biofuelwatch.org.uk/2015/welsh- constructed shortly. More projects Up to two-thirds of this will be biomass-proposals/; could be proposed and approved at supplied by Enviva, who’re any time. supplying Drax and who will supply • A Cypriotic-Welsh company called Lynemouth Power Station, too. Egnedol Ltd has announced plans The biggest and most imminent for what ultimately be a 350 MW new developments are: Three very large biomass power biomass power station using plants are proposed in Wales: gasification technology. This would • The conversion of the mothballed be built in Milford Haven. Egnedol is Lynemouth Power Station to • Orthios Energy has announced applying for planning consent for a biomass by the Czech energy that they want to build two massive first 50 MW unit in the first

biomass faq • august 2016 • 9 instance, but has said that it wants concerned about the local impacts abandoned biomass power stations to scale it up seven-fold within three of any attempts to operate such a projects of 15 MW or greater years (for which they’d need new plant. See here for more details: capacity here: planning consent). They state that biofuelwatch.org.uk/2016/blackbrid biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp- they want to use both wood and ge-report/. content/maps/uk-biomass.html. waste-derived fuel. Biofuelwatch believes that the proposal is not Please see our UK map of existing, technically credible, but is approved, proposed, closed and hasn’t THE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCed RULES UNDER WHICH ONLY SUSTAINABLE and low-carbon BIOMASS WILL BE SUBSIDISED?

On 1st December 2015, the UK However, an even more serious closer inspection, however, these government introduced greenhouse flaw is the fact that the vast standards are deeply flawed, too: gas and sustainability standard. [29] majority of greenhouse gas Firstly, they emphasise the need for Biomass electricity and heat which emissions associated with plans and policies for ‘managing’ does not meet the standards is not biomass energy are simply forests and plantations, rather than eligible for renewable energy ignored. All of the carbon the need to observe, for example, subsidies. [30] However, there are emissions emitted when biomass is biodiversity is actually protected. so many loopholes in these burned are ignored. The only And secondly, developers can standards that Biofuelwatch emissions which must be declared demonstrate compliance with considers them to be meaningless. are those arising from fossil fuel both sets of standards by paying [31] See here for a critical debate of burning during logging, wood a consultant of their choice to the principle of bioenergy processing (e.g. pellet production), ‘confirm’ that all of the standards sustainability standards: and transport, emissions from are met. There is no independent biofuelwatch.org.uk/2014/biomass- fertiliser use on tree plantations, verification or auditing at all. sustainability-standards-briefing/. and carbon emissions from ‘land This is a recipe for fraud. For use change’. However, clearcutting example, in 2013, the government The greenhouse gas standards a forest is not classed as ‘land use admitted, in relation to biofuels for sets a maximum level of change’, as long as the forest is not transport which have been subject greenhouse gas emissions which converted to agriculture or the land to greenhouse gas and must not be exceeded by biomass is used for construction. Converting sustainability standards since 2010: electricity or heat. Until 2020, two a biodiverse carbon-rich forest to a “the Administrator noted that the different levels exist for biomass sterile industrial tree plantation is volumes of used cooking oil (UCO) electricity: One which must be met not classed as ‘land-use change’ derived biofuel being reported as by biomass power stations built either. Nearly all of the emissions coming from the Netherlands were after March 2013, the other for associated with logging are implausibly high based on the older biomass plants and for therefore ignored. population size." In other words, converted coal power station units, companies must have wrongly such Drax’s converted units. The At first sight, the sustainability declared the origin of their biofuels. maximum emissions figure will be standards – or ‘land criteria’ – For all we, or the government, reduced in 2020 and again in 2025. might appear more comprehensive know, some of the supposed ‘used Until 2025, biomass can be than the greenhouse gas standards. cooking oil from the Netherlands’ subsidised as ‘low carbon’ even if For example, they state that may have been virgin palm oil from the carbon emission attributed biomass must come from forests Indonesia. to it are much higher than those (or plantations) where the ‘health from burning natural gas! and vitality of ecosystems’ is Energy companies have yet another maintained, where biodiversity is option for ‘proving’ compliance with maintained, and where harm to the sustainability standards, one ecosystems is ‘minimised’. On which does not require energy

biomass faq • august 2016 • 10 companies to pay their own [33] The SBP claims ‘independence’ its scale. No standards can ever consultants to provide reports on all because their members and board make an unsustainable demand biomass consignments: They can members are not directly involved sustainable -standards cannot show that wood has been certified in the certification assessments. But credibly address the indirect by an “accredited voluntary this is a spurious: The standards impacts of biomass energy. Finally, certification scheme”. Remarkably, and all of the rules are set by the any genuinely meaningful standards the only scheme recognised in SBP themselves, so they effectively are likely to be challenged through guidance to the legislation as guarantee the SBP members the the World Trade Organisation and ‘proving’ 100% compliance with certificates they want. may thus not be enforceable. See the sustainability standards is a here for a critical debate of the scheme set up and administered There is plenty of scope for the UK’s principle of bioenergy sustainability exclusively by European energy biomass sustainability and standards: companies: The Sustainable greenhouse gas standards to be biofuelwatch.org.uk/2014/biomass- Biomass Partnership (SBP). [32] improved. However, the sustainability-standards-briefing/. The SBP Board is chaired by none fundamental problem with the idea other than Drax’s CEO, Dorothy of sustainability standards and Thompson. Not surprisingly, Drax certification is that is for what is has already been granted an SBP ultimately an artificial market - a certificate which qualifies all of the new market for wood created and pellets produced by their own pellet maintained through public mills in the southern US as meeting subsidies. After all, the most serious the UK’s sustainability standards. impacts of biomass energy relate to Why and how is biomass electricity subsidised in the UK?

The United Kingdom government commissioned by March 2017 (with conversion attracts one ROC per has a target to provide 15% a limited extension of that period in MWh. So to calculate how much renewable energy by 2020, and is some cases). This includes all subsidy a biomass-burning power bound by EU law to do so. The biomass power plants provided that plant attracts, one has to multiply government predicts most of the they meet the sustainability and the number of Megawatt hours overall target will be met through greenhouse gas standards generated per year by the number renewable electricity. Subsidies are discussed above. So far, ROCs have of ROCs for which the particularly the main instrument used to try been by far the biggest driver technology is eligible. and meet this target. There are behind the expansion of biomass currently three subsidy schemes for electricity in the UK. Under the Energy suppliers pass the cost of renewable electricity that apply Renewables Obligation, electricity ROCs onto customers via a across the UK: companies are obliged to supply a surcharge on electricity bills. The percentage of their electricity from government estimated the total Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs): Those are renewables, which increases year surcharge for ROCs as £36. a year available for small-scale generation, on year. A penalty is imposed on out of an average annual electricity up to a capacity of 5 MW, or 2kW for those suppliers who do not meet bill of £627 a year - however that micro combined heat and power the targets. Correspondingly, includes ROCs for wind and solar using bioenergy. Feed-in tariffs have Ofgem issues ROCs to electricity projects which are genuinely been particularly important for generators for every unit of eligible renewable and low-carbon. [36] solar PV, but they have hardly ever renewable electricity which they been used for biomass; [34] supply. The market value of ROCs Contracts for Difference (CfDs): varies slightly. On average, one ROC CfDs were introduced through the Renewables Obligation was worth £42.69 in 2015. [35] Energy Act 2013 as part of the then Certificates (ROCs): Any electricity Different renewable electricity government’s Energy Market generating project classed as technologies are eligible for Reform. A CfD takes the form of a renewable automatically qualifies different amounts of ROCs. In ‘strike price’. This is a fixed price for ROCs, provided that it is 2015/16, coal-to-biomass which generators of renewable

biomass faq • august 2016 • 11 electricity (as well as nuclear get both ROCs and a CfD for the So far, CfDs have been awarded to power), are guaranteed per unit of same scheme. three large biomass electricity electricity. Strike prices are projects: substantially higher than the market From April 2017 onwards, ROCs will price for the electricity. The no longer be available for new • The conversion of one of Drax’s six difference between the strike price schemes (though there are power station units to biomass (the and the market price is the subsidy. provisions for extending this period other two converted units are for schemes already under subsidised through Drax) There are two main differences construction at that time). between ROCs and CfDs: Companies which already receive • MGT’s large new biomass power ROCs will continue to do so until station which has now attracted • Companies need to compete for 2027, but new ones have to apply enough investment for construction CfDs and only a small number of for a CfD instead. to start, and which will burn pellets schemes will be awarded them, from a US company shown to use whereas companies have an CfDs are awarded through a wood from clearcut biodiverse automatic entitlement to ROCs competitive process, in which coastal swamp forests; provided they generate renewable companies have to put a closed bid electricity that falls within the scope for the lowest strike price they are • The conversion of the mothballed of ROCs; happy to accept into an auction. The Lynemouth Power Station to lowest proposals are then chosen. biomass, which will use pellets from • CfDs are more generous than Before each auction, the hat same US company (Enviva). ROCs and they give energy government announces which types companies long-term price of schemes (i.e. which technology The CfD award to Drax is currently guarantees and thus protect them groups) can compete. There may be being investigated by the European from market fluctuations. separate auctions for different Commission, which means that technology groups at the same Drax has not yet received this From April 2014 to March 2017, time. However the first awards of particular subsidy. Further CfD companies generating renewable CfDs, made in 2014, were not allocations are expected later in electricity can apply either for ROCs subject to competition, and strike 2016. or for a CfD. If they are refused a prices for those awards had been CfD then they can still apply for set by the government in advance. ROCs instead. However, they cannot How does the UK’s support for biomass compare to that for wind and solar power?

UK governments have long announced that no new Contracts drastically curtail the expansion of supported biomass electricity as a for Difference will be granted for onshore wind and solar PV in the key component for meeting the onshore wind and solar power, and UK in future. This means that the renewable energy target. Since the it has also stopped developers from Government will have to rely even Conservative Government came to applying for ROCs for such schemes more heavily on biomass electricity power in 2015, they have since April 2016. Feed-in-tariffs for if they want to meet renewable significantly cut support for solar PV and onshore wind have energy targets. onshore wind and solar PV. been cut. And in England, changes Onshore wind is currently the single to planning policy make it far easy biggest contributor to renewable for local objectors to stop onshore electricity generation in the UK wind turbines [38] - ‘community (unless biomass is added together rights’ which do not extend to with biogas and all types of communities objecting to waste electricity from waste, in which case incinerators, biomass plants and it surpasses onshore wind). [37] other polluting developments. All of However, the Government has those policies are expected to

biomass faq • august 2016 • 12 Have local campaigns against biomass power stations been successful in the uk?

Several biomass power station However, Prenergy went out of stations proposed by Forth Energy, application have been rejected or business after local campaigners in Grangemouth and Rosyth, as well withdrawn in response to local persuaded planners to refuse a as a large biomass power station campaigns against them. change of their planning consent proposed by Helius Energy . Some which would have allowed them to investors are reluctant to get Those include large import-reliant burn pellets as well as woodchips. involved in highly contentious power stations in Leith (Edinburgh) projects. And in some cases, and Dundee, which had been Planning policies across the UK are highlighting particular risks and proposed by Forth Energy, a (now heavily biased in favour of problems associated with a dissolved) partnership of SSE and developers, and it can be difficult proposal might put off other Forth Ports, two biomass power and often impossible to stop investors. stations proposed by the no longer applications through the planning existing company Bio E Plc in Wales, process. Nonetheless, there is Biofuelwatch offers support and and a proposal that involved a strong evidence that active local advice to any local residents bioliquid and a biomass combined campaigns can succeed even if the concerned about a biomass (or heat and power plant as well as a planning consent they oppose is bioliquid) power plant proposal in pellet mill in Anglesey, Wales. granted: several developments that their area. were strongly and very publicly In another case, a company called opposed by local residents have Prenergy obtained planning consent been abandoned despite getting for what would still be the world’s planning consent, while others have largest purpose-built biomass been quietly shelved. Those include power station in Port Talbot. the two other large biomass power references & notes

[1] See for example Getting to the Roots: apply to limited co-firing of biomass with [7] dogwoodalliance.org/wp- Underlying causes of deforestation and coal in the same power station unit, only to content/uploads/2012/11/Whole-Tree- forest degradation, and drivers of forest coal-to-biomass conversions. Wood-Pellet-Production-Report.pdf restoration, Global Forest Coalition, 2010: globalforestcoalition.org/wp- [3] dissexpress.co.uk/news/latest- [8] drax.com/media/41941/biomass- content/uploads/2010/11/Report-Getting-to- news/thousands-of-jobs-at-risk-if- sustainabilty-faqs.pdf the-roots1.pdf mendlesham-straw-fired-power-station- goes-ahead-says-claim-1-6076233 [9] See interview with Danna Smith, [2] This is due to the fact that other types of Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance in biomass contain more alkali salts, which [4] gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ Biofuelwatch’s report Biomass: The Chain of corrode coal power station boilers: uploads/attachment_data/file/483812/nonfo Destruction, 2013, biofuelwatch.org.uk/docs/DECC%20FoI%20E od-statsnotice2014-10dec15.pdf biofuelwatch.org.uk/2013/chain-of- IR%2013-0340%20Q1%20Documents%20 destruction/ Drax%20etc%209May%202013.pdf. It [5] ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and- applies to all subcritical pulverised fuel coal updates/biomass-sust [10] gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ power stations, which means to all coal uploads/attachment_data/file/343005/Respo power stations in the UK and most [6] Wood waste: A short review of recent nse_to_Biomass_Consultation.pdfl, 3.56 worldwide (albeit not to the Gardanne research, Defra, 2012, gov.uk/government/ power station which is being converted to uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/fi [11] Renewables Obligation: Sustainability biomass by E.On in France). This doesn’t le/82571/consult-wood-waste- Criteria (England, Wales, and Scotland), researchreview-20120731.pdf

biomass faq • august 2016 • 13 Guidance, 1st December 2015. [23] Article 18 (6), Renewable Energy [31] biofuelwatch.org.uk/2016/uk-biomass- ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/ro_sus Directive 2009, eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- standards-briefing/ tainability_criteria_guidance_esw.pdf, page content/EN/TXT/ 13, citing European Commission PDF/?uri=CELEX:32009L0028&from=EN [32] sustainablebiomasspartnership.org communication 2010/C 160/02 [24] https://www.iea.org/publications/ [33] See theecologist.org/essays/2988028/ [12] See for example Corecting a freepublications/publication/essentials3.pdf are_the_uk_biomass_sustainability_standard fundamental error in greenhouse gas s_legitimisi accounting related to bioenergy, Helmut [25] See ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and- Haberl et.al., Energy Policy, June 2012: updates/biomass-sustainability-dataset- [34] Biomass only attracts Feed-in-tariffs sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S03014 2014-15. Note Biofuelwatch has calculated (FiTs) if burned in combined heat and power 21512001681 the total figures as comprising green tonnes units of up to 3 kW. The government had of virgin wood plus tonnes of waste wood. envisioned up to 30,000 such units financed [13] See biofuelwatch.org.uk/biomass- This is based on the following assumptions: through FITs, but as of 2015, only 501 had resources/resources-on-biomass/ for a • One tonne of wood pellets requires two been installed: gov.uk/government/uploads/ complication of scientific studies on this green tonnes of wood; system/uploads/attachment_data/file/53584 topic. • One tonne of sawdust or woodchips 2/FITs_ADmCHP_consultation_document_Ma requires 1.17 green tonnes of wood; y_2016_1_-_14_July_deadline.pdf. [14] Energy Sprawl or Energy Efficiency: • Waste wood is not converted to green Climate policy impacts on natural habitats wood because it is wood which has been [35] See epowerauctions.co.uk/ for the United States of America, Robert I previously used for example as construction eroclatest.htm McDonald et al, PLoS ONE August 2009: or fencing material. journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371 • A green tonne of wood refers to the weight [36] gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ /journal.pone.0006802 of freshly logged wood. uploads/attachment_data/file/384404/Pri

[15] treehugger.com/renewable-energy/all- [26] Annual UK wood production was 11 [37] gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ biofuels-are-nonsense-says-nobel-winning- million green tonnes in 2015: uploads/attachment_data/file/540953/Chapt photosynthesis-expert-hartmut-michel.html forestry.gov.uk/forestry/beeh-a9zjnu er_6_web.pdf, table 6.4

[16] greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/11/how- [27] letsrecycle.com/news/latest- [38] researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ efficient-are-solar-panels news/biomass-is-now-largest-market-for- ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN04370 waste-wood/ [17] eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32009L002 [28] Based on figures in the US Department 8&from=EN of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Information Network report “EU 28 Biofuels [18] gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ Annual 2016”: uploads/attachment_data/file/540953/Chapt gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20 er_6_web.pdf Publications/Biofuels%20Annual_The%2

[19] iea.org/aboutus/faqs/renewableenergy/ [29] See legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1947/ pdfs/uksi_20151947_en.pdf for the Statutory [20] pfpi.net/air-pollution-2 Instrument and gov.uk/guidance/ sustainability-standards-for-electricity- [21] Another misguided policy – wood generation-from-biomass stoves: as many PM2.5 as roads & increased global warming, Dorothy L Robinson, British [30] for the guidance document Some Medical Journal, June 215, forms of biomass are exempt from either bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2757/rr-0 the greenhouse gas or the sustainability standards or both, however nearly all virgin [22] irena.org/DocumentDownloads/ wood used for biomass energy is covered Publications/RE_Technologies_Cost_Analysis- BIOMASS.pdf

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