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The government’s climate change minister Greg Barker has reiterated that recycled waste wood has an important role as a fuel for the generation of low carbon, renewable electricity and heat in the UK.
Addressing Parliament on 10 March, Mr Barker explained that the government believes electricity and heat sourced from biomass could provide about 4.5% of overall energy demand in the near future.
The minister said: “We do not have specific expectations for each particular biomass feedstock type but expect that burning wood from imported and domestic sources, preferably waste wood, will make a significant contribution to biomass heat and electricity generation in the UK by 2020.”
New sustainability criteria is also being introduced by the government this month to ensure that any biomass used to generate electricity must demonstrate minimum greenhouse gas emissions saving of 60% compared to fossil fuel and also includes restrictions on the use of materials from land important on carbon or biodiversity grounds.
Peel Energy project manager Jon England said: “The Barton Renewable Energy Plant proposal is entirely in line with the government’s new sustainability criteria.
“The waste wood will be sourced largely from construction and demolition sites in the North West region and would otherwise be destined for landfill where it would fulfil no useful purpose. Over 500,000 tonnes of waste wood is currently landfilled each year in our region alone - and we can put this to work instead by generating low carbon, renewable electricity for thousands of local homes and businesses.
“The greenhouse gas savings that would be made in comparison with the use of traditional fossil fuels such as coal and gas are also very substantial as energy generated from biomass has very low carbon emissions in comparison with energy derived from conventional fossil fuel sources.”
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