Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether (a) straw, (b) grass pellets and (c) other non-wood biomass fuels are included in the biomass suppliers list as approved fuels.

The existing Biomass Supplier List is available to suppliers of woodfuel, including Short Rotation Coppice (SRC). It is intended to be used by biomass participants in the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and small-scale biomass participants in the non-domestic RHI, who predominately use woodfuel. It is not available to non-woodfuel biomass, such as straw and grass pellets.

It is important that the industry takes the lead on demonstrating the sustainability of their feedstocks. To encourage this, the RHI regulations will allow for alternative biomass supplier lists to be setup by the industry for other non-woodfuel solid biomass fuels, provided that appropriate measures and procedures are in place and are subsequently approved by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Additionally, straw, grass pellets and other non-wood biomass fuels, which are used mainly in the non-domestic sector, can be used in the non-domestic RHI scheme by self-reporting to Ofgem on the sustainability of the fuel. Installations with a boiler capacity below 1MW will not be required to obtain an independent audit of their sustainability reports.