As the renewable heat market grows, it is vital that support for biomass is sustainable. New sustainability criteria for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will make sure biomass meets the Government’s carbon and environmental objectives.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is introducing new sustainability criteria for installations using biomass and biogas fuels, and producers of bio methane under the Renewable Heat Incentive regulations.
From October 2015 all biomass participants in the RHI will have to use fuels that meet sustainability criteria.
Meeting the Criteria
There are two main methods for commercial businesses to meet the sustainability criteria:
Sourcing wood fuel from the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), and providing Ofgem with a quarterly declaration that the biomass fuel they have used was registered on the BSL and marked as sustainable. The BSL has been open to consumers from September 2014, allowing consumers to use an online search tool to find authorised fuels near them.
Self-reporting to Ofgem on the sustainability of fuel. This will involve making a quarterly declaration to Ofgem on whether or not fuel used in that quarter meets the land sustainability criteria, and providing an annual independent sustainability audit report on biomass used in that reporting year.
The biomass sustainability criteria came into force on 5th February 2015, and will be mandatory from 5 October 2015. For further information please get in touch.