The Welsh Assembly’s new ‘Bioenergy Action Plan for Wales’ aim ...

The Welsh Assembly’s new ‘Bioenergy Action Plan for Wales’ aims to generate at least 5 TWh per year of electricity, about 20% of the country’s current needs, from renewable biomass by 2020. It also aims to have biomass provide 2.5 TWh of usable heat energy, about 3% of current needs. This will result in a reduction of about 3mn tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, in comparison with generation based on fossil fuels, and create jobs. The Assembly Government wants to ensure that the biomass used is obtained from sustainable sources, whether these are in the UK or overseas, and takes into account the carbon emissions associated with growing, harvesting, processing and treating it. The Assembly Government intends to help both the public and private sectors increase their use of different technologies for the efficient generation of heat and electricity from biomass, and to increase the supply of biomass from Wales. And the Government is practising what it preaches - its new offices in Aberystwyth and Llandudno Junction will use biomass heating. The Welsh Assembly Government is already investing in bioenergy with the recent announcement of £26mn of new funding for anaerobic digestion and the use of Strategic Capital Investment Funding for appropriate wood energy projects in schools and hospitals.