IN July 2013 the government announced its UK Guarantee Scheme to underwrite with £33bn of public money, private loans to private infrastructure projects. A large number of them are energy projects (to 'keep the lights on') including £75m to Drax Power Station to help it convert 50% of its huge capacity to burn 16m tonnes of imported biomass a year thereby worstening climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss and extending the coal burning life of this inefficient old powerstation.

Other projects supported include Hinkley C nuclear power station, underground coal gasification in the north east, 3 major biomass electricity plants including Eggborough in Yorkshire burning up to 16 millions tonnes of imported wood, Helius Energy's planned Avonmouth 100MW power station burning 1 million tonnes, and Tilbury Green Energy's plant burning 300,000 tonnes each of virgin and waste wood. Also a string of waste incineration plants around the country.

At 2pm on Wednesday 18 December representatives and supporters of Biofuelwatch, FOE, UK Without Incineration Network and the Campaign Against Climate Change gathered outside the Treasury building in Whitehall to protest at the huge subsidies the UK government is offering to hugely damaging and dangerous so-called renewable energy technology, biomass electricity and waste incineration.

They delivered a joint letter addressed to Mr Geoffrey Spence, head of Infrastructure UK which is administering the UK Guarantee Scheme and George Osborne MP, chancellor of the exchequer, calling on the Treasury to drop the 3 big biomass electricity projects and the waste incineration programme from the ‘prequalified’ short list of projects to receive loan guarantee from public funds.  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-projects-pass-first-hurdle-to-secure-government-guarantee-for-infrastructure

Please sign this Biofuelwatch letter opposing Biomass being part of the UK Guarantee Scheme:  http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2013/ukguaranteescheme-alert/

To learn more about Biomass inc FAQs, recent reports, links to the science:  http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2013/resources-biomass/

And lastly watch this must-see short film by our partner on the ground in the southern US, Dogwood Alliance:  http://dia.dogwoodalliance.org/p/salsa/web/questionnaire/public/?questionnaire_KEY=1656