Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of the biomass burned in large-scale biomass power stations was sourced from old growth or primary forest in 2024.

Biomass sustainability criteria require all biomass for power generation to be legally harvested, and comply with any applicable legislation in the countries of origin to protect primary forest and old growth areas. This means the risk of material from primary forests and old growth areas entering the UK is low, and volumes are minimal.

The Government takes this issue seriously and from 2027 new requirements will explicitly exclude primary material from forestry in primary forest and old growth areas from eligibility for subsidy, protect against regulatory regression abroad, and impose enhanced audit and assurance standards on biomass generators.