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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  Huhne Releases Revised Policy Statement

Huhne Releases Revised Policy Statement

25 October 2010

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, has today (25 October 2010) released a statement including the Revised Draft National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3), which will provide the basis for decisions by IPC on applications it receives for renewable energy infrastructure, in conjunction with EN-1.

EN-3 has outlined the “increasingly important role” that energy-from-waste will play in the UK’s energy strategy: “The recovery of energy from the combustion of waste, where in accordance with the waste hierarchy, will play an increasingly important role in meeting the UK’s energy needs. Where the waste burned is deemed renewable, this can also contribute to meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets. Further, the recovery of energy from the combustion of waste forms an important element of waste management strategies in both England and Wales.” (EN-3 2.5.2)

The Policy Statement covers any energy infrastructure for biomass and/or waste generating above 50 MW, any offshore wind farm generating above 100MW, and any onshore wind farm generating more than 50MW, but does not cover other types of renewable energy generation, such as schemes that generate electricity from tidal or wave power.

The Statement also proposes the introduction of ‘sustainability criteria’ for biomass plants of 1MW capacity and above to receive incentives under Renewables Obligation. EN-3 introduces sustainability criteria under RO rather than within planning regime, and sets out that the same set of controls will be applied across the UK and to both new and existing power plants.

Proposed criteria include: minimum GHG emission saving relative to fossil fuel; general restriction on the use of materials from land important to carbon and biodiversity (primary forest, grassland, peatlands); and the need to demonstrate sustainability of biomass feedstock on an annual basis. Other important factors from EN-3 included the need for applications to include CHP or present evidence in the application that the possibility of CHP has been fully considered, and that applications must demonstrate Carbon Capture readiness.

 

Tom Lee