The cost of the Drax BECCS plant to UK consumers

Subsidies to Drax for burning biomass are set to soar as the company plans to build the world’s first bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plan. Ember calculations put the cost to the UK public at £31.7 billion, equivalent to almost £500 per person in the UK.

Despite this, the most current research raises concerns that BECCS is reliably carbon-negative, particularly if the UK lacks stringent regulation. There is even a risk that in worst-case scenarios, burning biomass can be more highly emitting than burning coal, which would leave BECCS as a net emitter, not carbon negative.

The UK government should therefore proceed with caution, guaranteeing that BECCS will deliver negative emissions in the necessary timeframe before committing large scale public funds. More research needs to be done about the carbon emission and supply chain impact of biomass and BECCS, as well as further exploration of alternative routes to provide negative emissions.