Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the total subsidy was to (a) power generation by biomass and (b) domestic combustion of biomass in the UK in the last three years for which figures are available.

The main mechanism of support for biomass1 power generation is the Renewables Obligation (RO). An estimate of support can be made by applying the share of RO certificates (ROCs) redeemed by suppliers, originating from biomass generation, to overall RO expenditure. This is given in the table below for 2011/12 to 2013/14.

2013/14 data are provisional, Ofgem’s annual report will be published in February 2015.

RO expenditure published in Ofgem’s RO annual reports, available at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/renewables-obligation-ro

ROCs redeemed by technology available at:

https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0 (Compliance certificates report).

Domestic combustion of biomass in the UK is currently supported by the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), but was previously covered by the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) until April 2014. The table below gives figures for the amount of subsidy biomass boilers received in the last 3 years:

[1] There is no single category for “biomass” under the RO. In this answer, we have defined biomass as the following generation types: Anaerobic Digestion, ACT, bioliquids, dedicated biomass, biomass conversions, EfW, landfill and sewage gas and CHP technologies.