Questions over £22bn in UK billpayer cash handed to wood-burning firms
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent from Environment | The Guardian on (#6J3B0)
Spending watchdog calls for biomass subsidy scheme to have tougher environmental requirements
Energy companies have been handed 22bn in billpayer-backed subsidies to burn wood for electricity despite being unable to prove the industry meets sustainability standards, the government's spending watchdog has said.
The head of the National Audit Office (NAO) has called on the government to toughen the environmental requirements of its biomass subsidy schemes, which have handed about 1bn a year to generators, because the assurances do not provide confidence that they have been met.
Continue reading...