Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry
Charles Hendry
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight the benefits of biomass. In our estimate, in the areas of heat and electricity, biomass could account for 40% of the renewable energy that we need to achieve by 2020. We have to strike the right balance, as there are other uses for wood fuel in this country: it can be used in furniture and in panelling, which are important industries for this country. We believe it right to look at imported fuels as well, as long as they are sustainably produced.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
Drax power station takes fast-growing crops, grown especially in Thirsk, Malton and Filey, and provides a great source of income to farmers in very difficult times. Will the Government and the Minister do all they can to promote biomass in preference to wind farms as a renewable and sustainable source of energy?
Charles Hendry
We do not have to be either/or; we need a balanced energy portfolio. I think biomass offers a very significant immediate carbon gain when we move from coal-fired generation to biomass generation. Some exciting developments are happening in that sector, but having wind in the right locations is an important part of the mix, too.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
Where are we with nuclear waste? If nuclear power is essential to deliver low-carbon economies, where is the Department in its programme and level of investment for disposing of spent nuclear fuel?
Charles Hendry
My hon. Friend raises one of the most critical issues at the heart of the nuclear debate. The Government have taken forward significantly the programme for the long-term deep disposal system for our legacy waste in this country. We are trying to advance that programme by at least a decade and discussions are continuing about that. We also recently published the waste arrangements for any new nuclear operators, with which they will have to comply for their plants to go forward.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry
Charles Hendry
We always seek to bring absolute delight to the hon. Lady. We were delighted to find among the batch of amendments that she tabled one that we could endorse and support, although we are looking at the nature of that proposal to see whether it delivers exactly what we want and whether we could improve it still further.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
5. What representations he has received on his objectives for the reduction of carbon emissions by 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry
Charles Hendry
The right hon. Gentleman put it correctly in his own blog, when he said:
“In an ideal world, we would all like to see the scheme that has the potential to provide the maximum amount of renewable energy and the least environmental impact in other ways”.
But that might not be possible. We have looked at the costs, the environmental consequences, the benefits it would bring, the alternative schemes and the resulting diversion of capital, and we have decided that other tidal mechanisms would be better.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
What role did the environmental impact assessment have in the final decision not to proceed, and what lessons can be learned from this process?
Charles Hendry
It was part of the process, but it was not the whole process. We have also looked very carefully at the costs: the main barrage would cost more than £30 billion. We looked at the amount of subsidy that would require now, and believed that it was not the right way forward.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry(14 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
13. What estimate he has made of the proportion of electricity which is generated from energy-to-waste plants; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Charles Hendry)
Energy from waste plants can generate electricity from a wide range of different wastes. Overall, these contributed almost 8,600 GWh of electricity in 2009, equating to 2.3% of UK electricity generation.
We strongly support energy generation from waste. We are working with other Government Departments to ensure that, where possible, waste should be seen as a resource, although it remains the responsibility of local authorities and communities to decide on the best waste management arrangements in their areas.
Miss McIntosh
I thank the Minister for that reply. What are the implications for local communities of having a cheaper and more sustainable source of electricity as well as being able to dispose of difficult waste such as food waste through anaerobic digestion?
Charles Hendry
My hon. Friend raises a critical issue. In the past, we simply have not had enough joined-up thinking on this matter. We are putting in place higher penalties for landfill to discourage people from using it, but at the same time we will be supporting a range of technologies, including anaerobic digestion, which can make a significant contribution to the problem.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Pickering and Charles Hendry
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
Drax power station takes an enormous amount of natural material from constituencies such as Thirsk and Malton. It is also a renewable power supply and reduces CO2 emissions. How do the Government think we can increase and encourage expenditure in this exciting form of renewable energy?
Charles Hendry
I am seeing the chief executive of Drax almost immediately after Question Time today, so I will have the opportunity to explore that further with her. The co-firing of biomass can make an important contribution, but we have to be certain that it is done sustainably. There are questions about the great deal of shipping involved in the transportation of biomass, but it can certainly make a contribution to reducing our carbon emissions.