Industry & regulations

New biomass sustainability requirements for the RHI will make sure biomass meets the Government’s carbon and environmental objectives, ensuring that support delivers value for money.

Biomass fuel used by RHI participants must meet a lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions target of 34.8g CO2 equivalent per MJ of heat produced, or 60% GHG savings against the EU fossil fuel average.

Land Criteria – it is planned for biomass fuel to meet land criteria, which will differ for different types of biomass.

For wood fuel: the criteria are outlined in the UK Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity.

For other types of biomass: it is intended that land criteria will correspond to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) for transport biofuels and bioliquids. Energy crops which have been assessed as meeting the requirements of the Energy Crops Scheme or equivalent will be deemed to meet land criteria.

From spring 2015 to be eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive you must source fuel from a supplier registered on the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL).

Please note that whilst BSL approval assures compliance with RHI sustainability criteria it is not a mark of fuel quality or suitability, for information on fuel quality accreditation schemes click here.

Biomass Suppliers List (BSL)

All biomass fuel used by households, businesses and other organisations claiming the RHI must meet a lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target of 60 per cent GHG savings against the EU fossil fuel average, and land criteria, which for wood fuel are set out in the UK Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity.

On the BSL website, producers and traders authorised fuels, as well as self-suppliers, of woody biomass can apply to register their fuels as meeting that criterion. Once fully authorised, traders’ fuels will be listed on a public register (which will be made available once a sufficient number of traders have registered their fuels).

UK Pellet Council

The UK Pellet Council (UKPC), hosted by the Renewable Energy Association (REA), manages the licence for the ENplus standard in the UK. Under the ENplus system, numerous national standards and certifications are replaced by one uniform system based on the EN 14961-2 standard for wood pellets. The ENplus standard covers the whole chain for wood pellets – from production to delivery to the final customer, therefore ensuring high quality as well as transparency. The ENplus quality seal stands for low emissions and trouble-free heating with high energy value. The ENplus seal means that someone with a boiler from either a UK or European manufacturer can be confident they are buying the right quality of pellet for their boiler.