UK well placed to meet recommended bioenergy targets

Dec. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Published at the end of November, the UK Biomass Directory 2012 lists every announced and operational power plant using biomass feedstocks in the UK. Enagri’s data shows that by 2020 these could produce around 130 TWh of electricity, compared with the CCC’s recommendation that bioenergy produce 200 TWh of primary energy by 2050.

The Biomass Directory provides capacity information, feedstock data, development costs and project timelines for more than 200 schemes, but it also scores them according to the technology used, and the project’s development and financial status. When this data is taken into account the potential for currently announced bioenergy projects drops to just over 100TWh by 2020.

The UK biomass sector has undergone something of hiatus since the publication of Enagri’s first Biomass Directory last summer. This has been caused by investor uncertainty over government policy and is shown by the limited progress than many of the schemes which remain in the directory from its first edition have shown.

“Despite the setbacks and delays the new edition of the directory shows a healthy number of new projects coming forward,” says Enagri’s Managing Director Richard Crowhurst who edited the report. “There have also been more developments in terms of project financing and consenting in the last six months than the last eighteen, so we are starting to see some movement and investor confidence.”

However, he cautions that uncertainty caused by the Government’s proposals for Energy Market Reform (EMR) still appear to be stalling developments between 2015 and 2020. “There is a real drop off of projects post 2015, which is likely to be caused by uncertainty of what awaits after the Renewables Obligation,” he adds. “This will need to be addressed if we are to meet our 2020 and 2050 targets for renewable energy and carbon emission reduction. Much of this capacity is also reliant on the total conversion of coal-fired power stations which may be unfeasible for a number of reasons.”

Some of the other key findings of the report, which has become the bible for project developers, analysts, investors, fuel suppliers and others, include:
•   The potential to generate 130 TWh of electricity from biomass by 2020
•   A requirement for 50 million tonnes of biomass feedstock a year to meet this requirement
•   The creation of over 5,500 full time jobs by 2020 with as many created in support and associated roles
•   The potential to employ over 15,000 people in the construction of new biomass plant

The UK Biomass Directory includes details of dedicated biomass plants, co-firing plants, energy-from-waste plants and facilities using bioliquid feedstocks which are included for the first time. It also includes information and contact details for key companies in the sector, making the Directory a fantastic resource for anyone involved in bioenergy policy in the UK.

http://www.ukbiomassdirectory.enagri.info

Further Information

Richard Crowhurst
Managing Director
Enagri Limited