Boosting biomass energy generation consultation

Views sought on how to support the development of biomass energy generation with associated carbon captured over the next decade

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a consultation on a business model to incentivise deployment of power bioenergy and carbon capture (BECCS) within the United Kingdom.

BECCS generates energy from biomass, sustainable plant material, while storing the carbon released in the process through carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) technology. This uniquely offers the potential to produce home-grown energy with ‘negative emissions’ – removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as the CO2 absorbed during the growth of the biomass can then be permanently removed from the atmosphere using carbon capture technologies.

The consultation launched today seeks views on how the government can help attract private investment to accelerate the development of this nascent industry, to help boost energy security, while also supporting new job opportunities across the country including industrial clusters developing carbon capture networks.

It contains early proposals including the main design elements of the business model and actions the government can take to enable deployment of this technology at scale, including steps to encourage the development of this industry, and address any possible barriers to investment.

Find out more about the consultation and how to respond.

First published 12 August 2022