Nigel Burdett, head of environment at Drax power station, told the meeting, “we need long term buyers to build a long term business and to do that we need to demonstrate biomass sustainability”. He said the company was talking to other utilities and “we need Europe-wide sustainability standards, not just the UK” to build a robust supply sector.
The European Commission is expected to produce mandatory standards later this year, but until then – and until it was clear whether existing standards would be “grandfathered” so current contracts would be protected, it was difficult to place new contracts.
Attendees at the meeting were generally in favour of expanding the use of biomass, although there were some concerns from associations dealing with wood product manufacturers. Jonathon Scurlock, chief advisor on renewable energy and climate change at the National Farmers Union, said UK farmers could provide a range of biomass from straw to woodland waste to fuel heat and power plants from the domestic to power station size. He noted that many products could be grown on low grade land and provide a new income stream for farmers. He said what was lacking was a firm market.