UK Government warned against adoption of ‘deeply flawed’ BECCS energy policy
In its response to the Government’s consultation on subsidies for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage on 29th February, Wild Europe has strongly advised the cessation of all further support for solid (forest) bioenergy.
“Replacing fossil fuels with bioenergy that has higher emissions, even than coal, is not a genuine clean energy policy” argued Toby Aykroyd. “Burying these emissions underground in a hugely expensive process, untried at scale, merely compounds the error.”
Wild Europe’s provided six key reasons for its opposition:
- Solid bioenergy is not carbon neutral
- Its source, forest wood, is not sustainable
- It is the most expensive, least efficient form of energy
- Supply lines are threatened by energy insecurity
- Air quality and thus health are compromised
- Scarce capital is diverted from genuine renewables and energy saving
Solid bioenergy aggravates climate change rather than addressing it.
The colossal expense of BECCS
Application of BECCS to solid bioenergy will amplify these problems – costing the UK around £35 billion in support over the next 25 years at a conservative estimate.
Whether funded by official subsidy or consumer premium, this represents a colossal misallocation of resource for a process that has never been proven at scale and, despite claims by its proponents of carbon ‘negativity’, will involve significant emissions.
The energy produced by forest bioenergy can be generated via genuine renewable sources – principally wind and solar with heat pumps – for a fraction of the cost, with reallocated subsidies having a far more beneficial impact on economic growth through provision of higher tech employment and productivity increase across a range of industrial sectors.
The current Government’s reliance on solid bioenergy as a key element in its energy policy has aggravated climate change, destroyed large areas of biodiversity rich forest and created significant health issues. A complete rethink is required, involving liaison with all parties, to build a genuine Green Energy Economy for the UK.