UK utilizing extra wooden to make electrical energy than ever, Drax figures present

[ad_1] Britain’s reliance on burning wooden to generate electrical energy has reached report highs, whilst the federal government strikes to curb the controversial use of biomass energy.

The newest figures equipped by the proprietor of the large Drax biomass plant in North Yorkshire have revealed that energy generated from burning biomass wooden pellets offered 9% of the UK’s electrical energy in July, its largest ever month-to-month share.

Weeks later, biomass offered nearly a fifth (17%) of the UK’s electrical energy for the primary time throughout one morning in September when renewable vitality assets have been notably low.

Britain’s report reliance on biomass technology has reached new heights as the federal government set out its plans to dramatically scale back the controversial vitality supply below a brand new subsidy settlement with the FTSE 250 proprietor of the Drax energy plant.

Beneath the deal, Drax will proceed to earn greater than £1m a day from vitality payments in alternate for burning wooden pellets at its energy plant. Nevertheless, it'll solely be supported to run simply over 1 / 4 of the time, down sharply from nearly two-thirds of the time at the moment.

When the deal was agreed in February, the vitality minister, Michael Shanks, stated the corporate’s subsidies had been reduce as a result of it “merely didn't ship a adequate deal for billpayers and enabled Drax to make unacceptably giant earnings”.

Drax has additionally confronted a backlash from inexperienced teams amid criticism of the corporate’s claims that it sources wooden solely from “properly‐managed, sustainable forests” to fabricate the pellets burned at its energy plant.

The facility plant’s assist funds have been initially as a consequence of finish in 2026 however it's now in line to earn £458.6m a yr between 2027 and 2031 after the federal government agreed to increase its subsidies past 2026, in keeping with analysts at Ember.

Frankie Mayo, an analyst on the local weather thinktank, stated: “Britain stays too reliant on polluting fuels, together with biomass. Whereas this can wind down as wind and photo voltaic develop, we’re not absolutely there but: using imported fuels for energy jumped in July 2025, although fell in subsequent months.

“Halving public subsidies for biomass energy at Drax from 2027 will imply lowered reliance on this costly and polluting gas, however clear energy growth can assist Britain reduce imports quicker.”

The federal government was approached for remark.

The Guardian revealed final month that Drax continued to burn 250-year-old bushes sourced from a few of Canada’s oldest forests as just lately as this summer time, in keeping with a brand new report from forestry consultants at Stand.earth, a Canadian environmental non-profit.

The report’s findings counsel that the Drax energy plant was burning “irreplaceable” bushes whilst its homeowners lobbied the UK authorities for the extra inexperienced vitality subsidies. Drax stated the pellets have been usually fabricated from “low-grade” wooden rejected by industrial sawmills and both offered to the biomass trade as waste wooden or burned to stop wildfires.

Responding to the Stand.earth report, a Drax spokesperson for Drax stated: “Our sourcing coverage means Drax doesn't supply biomass from designated areas of outdated progress and solely sources woody biomass from well-managed, sustainable forests.”

These designated areas of outdated progress quantity to lower than half of the entire old-growth forest areas in British Columbia.

Dr Iain Staffell, a professor at Imperial Faculty London, and the lead creator of the report, stated: “Energy demand is rising at its quickest charge for 10 years as we swap petrol and diesel automobiles for electrical autos and new information centres energy extra of our lives on-line. Bridging the gaps in provide when the wind will not be blowing or the solar will not be shining is the final word take a look at for our electrical energy system.”