“Biomass must end after 2027” if UK is to achieve net-zero, according to new report

The independent Climate Change Committee's annual carbon budget has stated large-scale biomass must end after 2027, if the UK is to reach net-zero.
The report outlines a route to the greenhouse gas emissions cuts from 2038 to 2042, which it says is a deliverable and cost-effective means for the UK to reach its legally binding goal.
Although the committe backed Drax's plans to install bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at its Selby power station, it said: "There is no role for large-scale unabated biomass generation at high load-factors in the pathway beyond the expiry of existing contracts in 2027.”
The government recently gave Drax, which is often accused of being the biggest CO2 emitter in the country, another taxpayer handout.
The company has been accused of 'bullying a jury' by a climate protester.
The news comes as Drax reported record profits of over £1 billion. Energy minister Michael Shanks has admitted the power producer makes 'unacceptably large profits', which are built on taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Matt Williams, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “The recent government decision to hand Drax and Lynemouth a lifeline worth billions of pounds now looks badly misguided.
“The CCC also say biomass imports should be cut to almost zero, casting doubt on the future of large biomass power plants which rely on millions of tonnes of this imported wood.
“But this import phase-out is set to happen far too slowly - only by 2050. Meaning millions more trees burned, putting the world’s forests at risk for decades to come.”