Biomass Electricity Subsidies: Deforestation Debate
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Earl of Caithness
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Biomass Electricity Subsidies: Deforestation
Earl of Caithness Excerpts(3 years, 6 months ago)
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Lord Callanan (Con)
I really do not think the noble Baroness is correct about this. Let me make the point once again that our sustainability criteria, which are some of the most stringent in the world, also take into account the greenhouse gas emissions from collecting, transporting and turning the biomass, which predominantly comes from waste products from the forest, into a viable energy source to deliver a carbon saving compared to fossil fuels.
The Earl of Caithness (Con) [V]
My Lords, my noble friend Lord Randall is absolutely right: virgin forests are being cut down. How is this being policed? Other countries are cutting down woodland, and what penalties are there on firms, such as Drax, which breach these conditions, if they are discovered to be in the wrong?
Lord Callanan (Con)
The sustainability criteria are policed by Ofgem and, if firms do not meet them, the subsidies are withdrawn.