Ed Miliband [pictured above] is poised to announce billions in new subsidies for wood-burning power plants to prevent Britain from losing a critical source of electricity. [emphasis, links added]
The Energy Secretary is understood to be set to offer support to Drax and other biomass operators, with a decision due as early as Monday.
Environmentalists are likely to see continued support for biomass fuel as a betrayal of Labour’s promises to focus on clean energy.
Mr Miliband is a key advocate of net zero within the Government but is still expected to back wood-burning as a major source of energy, amid fears Britain may be unable to keep the lights on without sites including North Yorkshire-based Drax, the UK’s largest power plant.
The Drax power station is a biomass plant, which generates power by burning wood. Biomass, which generates more than 10pc of Britain’s electricity, is classed as carbon-neutral as trees can be planted to replace those burned for fuel, and new trees absorb carbon while they grow.
However, the power source is seen as controversial because it still generates immediate emissions and has been blamed for fuelling deforestation.
Drax has been accused of cutting down forests in North America to keep Britain running.
Much of the existing subsidy regime for biomass is scheduled to end in 2027, threatening the ability of generators to invest in their power plants and so potentially undermining a key source of baseload power in the grid – the steady supply of electricity that does not rely on intermittent sources such as the sun and wind.
A decision is needed soon on whether to continue to offer taxpayer support. The National Audit Office (NAO) last month said Drax had received £6.5bn of subsidies from the government since 2002.
Read rest at Telegraph
