HC Deb 18 October 2001 vol 372 cc1273-4W
Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the waste incineration directive on the UK biomass industry, with particular reference to the thermal recycling market. [2537]

Mr. Meacher

A series of Regulatory and Environmental Impact Assessment reports on the then proposed Waste Incineration Directive were commissioned from consultants. Copies of the reports (dated 1999 and 2000) are available in the Library of the House and were circulated to the industry associations which were consulted during the seven years of the Directive negotiations. These reports include assessments of the estimated costs of compliance with the Directive relating to the waste biomass combustion industry.

The following figures (including the footnote) are taken from various parts of the October 2000 consultants' report.

£000/per annum
Plant type Number of plants operating or under construction in the UK Number of plants surveyed by consultant Estimated costs of compliance1
Poultry litter and straw 5 IPC Part A 2 50–355
22000+ others
Coffee grounds 1 1 26
Waste-refuse derived fuel 3 2 150–1,000
Paper and board 1 IPC Part A 1 30
No data on others
Wood 23,350 0 3
1 1998 prices
2 Estimate
3 In this sector, companies burning treated wood are expected to respond to the proposed Directive by switching away from combustion and towards disposal e.g. to landfill. Negligible cost impacts are expected.

Note:

IPC: Integrated Pollution Control under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

The Directive just applies to the incineration of waste, and Article 2.2(a) excludes from the Directive's scope incinerators or co-incinerators which treat only certain biomass waste, namely:

vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry;vegetable waste from the food processing industry, if the heat generated is recovered;fibrous vegetable waste from virgin pulp production and from production of paper from pulp, if it is co-incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered;wood waste with the exception of wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood preservatives or coating, and which includes in particular such wood waste originating from construction and demolition waste;cork waste.

We will be consulting in due course on proposals for the transposition of the Directive.

The EU Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the internal energy market classifies only the biodegradable element of waste as a renewable source. The Government have recently consulted on the Renewables Obligation and electricity generated from biomass (whether energy crops or waste in origin) will be eligible.

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