A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable

Ember modelling indicates that the UK can achieve a stable, decarbonised clean power system by 2030 while significantly reducing its reliance on expensive, imported biomass. By reducing biomass capacity by 2 GW—retaining only the equivalent of a single large-scale unit—biomass generation could drop to just 2% of total electricity generation, with the gap largely filled by power imports and a marginal increase in gas use.

• A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable by 2030, reducing biomass generation to just 2% of total electricity generation. This represents a 55% reduction in biomass power generation compared to scenarios aligned with the NESO Clean Power 2030 reports, while maintaining grid stability and decarbonisation.
• The proposed low-biomass pathway involves reducing biomass capacity by 2 GW, leaving only the equivalent of one unit of the Drax power plant and existing small-scale units. In this model, wind and solar power alone provide over 80% of total generation, and wind power generation triples between 2023 and 2030, while gas power generation falls by two-thirds.
• Reducing biomass reliance improves energy security and lowers costs. Biomass power is significantly more expensive than other sources; at £138/MWh under a Contract for Difference (2024 prices), it is 80% higher than the 2024 average price for gas-generated electricity (£77/MWh) and nearly double the price of onshore wind.
• The UK would remain a net exporter of electricity in a low-biomass system, with annual power exports totaling 60 TWh. The reduction in biomass generation (-10 TWh) is primarily offset by a 6.9 TWh increase in electricity imports from interconnected markets and a 2.9 TWh increase in gas generation.
• Large-scale biomass power presents energy security risks due to total reliance on imports. In 2023, Drax consumed 5.8 million tonnes of wood biomass, none of which was sourced in the UK, meaning it consumed nearly 20 times the UK's domestic pellet production (0.3 million tonnes).

APA

Ember (2024). A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-low-biomass-clean-power-system-for-the-uk-is-achievable

Chicago

Ember. A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-low-biomass-clean-power-system-for-the-uk-is-achievable.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable |date=11 December 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-low-biomass-clean-power-system-for-the-uk-is-achievable |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024lowbiomass, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{A low-biomass clean power system for the UK is achievable}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-low-biomass-clean-power-system-for-the-uk-is-achievable}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }