End subsidy for big biomass

A Scottish Government consultation ends soon on policy proposals that could see the final demise of Forth Energy's proposed Leith power plant on Leith docks.

Although we were initially delighted to see some of the policy proposals outlined in the consultation, as we looked into them in more detail some loop holes in the proposals emerged. These currently allow operators of large biomass plants to continue to claim public subsidies even if a very small proportion of the heat they generated was used.

Therefore, we have modified the draft response we published before Christmas to call on the government to close these loop holes. We believe the Scottish Government should make sure that its policies comply with European Union directives to ensure that all biomass plants will be at least 70% efficient.

We have also supported the recommendations of a new report, which was comissioned by the Scottish Government itself, to place a cap on all the size of biomass plants that should be eligible for subsidies at 10Mw. This cap will help to ensure that local wood resources are used - rather than forcing a reliance on extensive, and possibly unsustainable, foreign imports. 

We have also called on the Scottish Government to consider the scope for enhanced subsidies for non-profit community owned projects too, as there is plenty of evidence to suggest that they deliver much more public good than purely private schemes. 

You can read the full submission here: 

Greener Leith ROC Consultation Response