• Ember have published a report looking at CO2 emissions in the UK 
• Emissions from sustainable biomass power do not reflect international carbon accounting protocols 
• Sustainably governed biomass power is key to meeting our net zero commitments, as affirmed by the UN IPCC, International Energy Agency and the UK’s Climate Change Committee 

The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) responds to concerns around the CO2 emissions resulting from biomass power generation as highlighted by Ember’s recent report and covered by news outlets this morning. 

When done correctly, under sustainable governance arrangements, biomass power is essential to achieving net zero in the UK. The REA supports Government’s moves to implement bioenergy with carbon capture and storage which will have the effect of removing carbon from the atmosphere. 

Trevor Hutchings, Chief Executive Officer of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), said: 

“Claims that conflate sustainable biomass emissions with those of fossil fuel generation ignore internationally accepted and peer reviewed carbon accounting rules. These are set out by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and recognised by the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). When done in accordance with strict sustainability governance arrangements, carbon released from biomass is replaced through the continuous growth of forests, which is not the case when carbon is dug up and released into the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels. 

Furthermore, with the addition of bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) biomass will have a critical role in enabling the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. This is recognised within all scenarios for getting to net zero, be they produced by the CCC, the International Energy Agency or the IPCC. The REA support the Government in recognising that biomass generation and BECCS are part of an essential decarbonised energy mix, alongside other renewables like wind and solar, which are needed to meet net zero and address the climate emergency.”