The U.K. Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) on May 15 released a statement highlighting the ongoing importance of biomass power in reaching the U.K.’s net zero goals. The REA also stressed it will continue to support the biomass industry and hold it to high standards.

The REA’s released its statement in response to recent scrutiny of the biomass power sector by both members of the U.K. Parliament and the media ahead of the government’s expected to response to a public consultation launched earlier this year on the future of biomass energy subsidies.

The U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in January launched a public consultation on its proposed plans to implement transitional subsidies to support large-scale biomass electricity generators in their planned move to implement bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) projects. The consultation closed Feb. 29, and the government is expected to issue its response to the consultation soon. Drax Group plc is among the companies working to implement BECCS projects in the U.K.

“The Climate Change Committee (CCC), International Energy Agency (IEA), and UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) all identify an important ongoing role for sustainable biomass power in delivering a decarbonized energy system,” said Mark Sommerfeld, deputy director of policy at the REA in the group’s May 15 statement. “The sector already contributes 13% of renewable power in the U.K. and utilizes a wide range of feedstocks, including waste wood, contributing to the circular economy.

“In particular, within their sixth carbon budget, the CCC state that engineered carbon removals of 58 MTCO2/year are required by 2050. The majority of this is expected to be delivered by bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), the most scalable engineered carbon removal technology today,” he continued.

“The industry is fully committed to ensuring this is done correctly,” Sommerfeld added. “The U.K. already has world leading sustainability governance arrangements, which the government and industry are already committed to further enhancing. Last year the chief scientific officer to the government’s energy department concluded that that there is no scientific reason as to why BECCS cannot be delivered sustainably in the U.K.

“The REA supports the creation of a mechanism designed as a bridge to BECCS. The proposed mechanism will maintain existing generation capacity at low cost, while providing a mandatory pathway for BECCS delivery,” Sommerfeld continued. “Ensuring that these existing low carbon generation stations have a clear market signal regarding their future is essential for the timely and cost-effective investment.

“Responding to the urgency of climate change means that we must continue investing in critical negative emissions technologies now if we are going to deliver an affordable, secure and decarbonized energy system.”