Biomass is a versatile resource and can be used to produce almost any type of energy, including power, heat and transport fuels, while also offering opportunities to replace fossil fuels in chemicals, materials, and products.

The Biomass Strategy sets out steps government intends to take to strengthen biomass sustainability and the opportunities for the use of sustainable biomass across multiple sectors of the economy in support of achieving the UK’s net zero target.

It builds on the 2021 Biomass policy statement and the Powering up Britain strategy which emphasised the important role that biomass will play in Britain’s fully decarbonised power system by 2035, subject to security of supply.

Commenting on the Biomass Strategy, Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium said: 

The UK’s new Biomass Strategy is a welcome endorsement of the strategically important role energy from waste infrastructure can play in a Net Zero economy by combining unrecyclable waste with carbon capture technology to take emissions out of the atmosphere.

But, Chief Executive at the Renewable Transport Fuel Association Gaynor Hartnell said that the strategy points to broader considerations. 

From a biofuels’ perspective the Biomass Strategy neither helps nor hinders their prospects. It rightly points out that despite the electrification of road transport, the demand for biofuels remains strong.  In all three 2050 scenarios there are references to the important and growing role for biofuels.

The proposals for further actions to strengthen the UK’s biomass sustainability criteria might eventually result in a levelling up to meet those already in place with respect to biofuels. 

The strategy is supported by:

• Public dialogue on the role of biomass in achieving net zero
• Analysis of responses to the call for evidence for biomass strategy on the role of biomass in achieving net zero
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Chief Scientific Advisor’s Task and Finish Group report on BECCS