Building a bigger, more resilient UK biomass supply chain
Author: Helen Motwani, Head of Heat & Biomass UK

The REA has published a new report, which argues that the UK is going to need more sustainably sourced biomass in the decades ahead. The question is not whether we should choose domestic production or imports, but how we build a diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chain that uses both.

This matters because bioenergy is already an important part of the UK energy system. NESO’s Future Energy Scenarios project around 190-216 TWh of bioenergy demand by 2050, while biomass power currently provides around 14% of UK electricity generation and up to 5.5 GW of dispatchable capacity. New sources of demand are also emerging, including data centres requiring reliable, firm power, alongside growing demand for biomethane, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and greenhouse gas removals such as BECCS.

Domestic supply already plays a major role, with around two-thirds of UK bioenergy feedstocks currently sourced domestically. There is significant potential to increase this contribution, particularly through sustainably sourced crop-based feedstocks. But UK resources alone cannot meet projected future demand. Imports will continue to make an important strategic contribution, providing diversity and resilience in a global market.

The report examines what this means for the biomass supply chain and what needs to happen now, including the themes below:

Scaling domestic supply:

Domestic biomass can deliver more than energy. Expanding sustainably sourced crop-based feedstocks can support rural economies, diversify farm incomes and deliver wider environmental benefits. But supply chains cannot be created overnight. Energy crops, processing infrastructure and logistics networks require years, and often decades, of investment.

That means government needs to provide clear and consistent signals now, including long-term demand, credible offtake arrangements and policy coherence across DESNZ, Defra and DfT.

Protecting existing supply chains:

Scaling up new supply is only part of the picture. The transition is not only about growing new feedstocks. Waste wood, agricultural residues and other secondary feedstocks already form an important part of the UK’s domestic biomass resource.

For waste wood in particular, the challenge is not creating new feedstock but maintaining the infrastructure needed to use an existing domestic resource. Transitional support for biomass plants leaving the Renewables Obligation can preserve this capacity and provide a bridge towards BECCS. Industry estimates that supporting the first plants leaving the RO could require a net cost of around £30 million a year between 2027 and 2032, a modest investment to preserve existing domestic infrastructure, maintain low-carbon power generation and unlock the transition to BECCS.

Government needs to act now.

Delivering all of this depends on decisions being taken soon. The report sets out a roadmap focused on three priorities: immediate policy certainty, funding certainty and the sustainable scaling of domestic feedstock.

Key decisions on the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, the Government’s response to the GGR Review, the Power BECCS Business Model and the Common Biomass Sustainability Framework are needed this year. The 2027 Spending Review will then be critical to providing longer-term funding certainty for BECCS and other emerging bioenergy markets.

Ultimately, the UK has the opportunity to build a larger and more resilient biomass supply chain that strengthens energy security, supports rural economies and contributes to decarbonisation across the economy. But biomass supply chains cannot be switched on and off with short-term policy cycles. The investment decisions that will shape the UK’s biomass supply in 2050 need to start now.

Download the report here: REA Biomass Feedstock Paper