Draft bioenergy policy statement: consultation analysis

3. Concluding remarks

Principles of use and priorities for bioenergy

There was general agreement from respondents with the overarching principles of use for bioenergy, as set out in the Draft BPS. There was also general agreement with the priorities for use, although to a slightly lesser extent. AD and BECCS emerged as additional themes across the responses to these questions.

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage

Responses to questions relating to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage demonstrated a mixed position. A prominent theme was related to challenges across the BECCS sector, including various BECCS technologies not yet being cost-effective, commercially viable or technologically ready to be deployed at scale. Many respondents also pointed to a lack of existing infrastructure, including for storing and transporting the captured CO2, as being a barrier to developing the sector. There was a clear call to prioritise addressing these challenges to support the establishment and development of the sector.

Additionally, many respondents urged the Government to consider all solutions that could result in emissions reduction, rather than prioritising solely BECCS, to reduce the risk of failing to meet net-zero targets and optimise negative emissions capacity across different bioenergy technologies.

Perennial energy crops

In the context of scaling up the domestic PECs industry, themes emerged around the need to optimise land use and balance the various competing demands on the land. There was also consensus across responses around the requirement for incentives and clear policy, and ensuring there is a consistent product with a guaranteed market value.

Generally, best practice examples for integrating PECs and promoting biodiversity that respondents suggested could be grouped under holistic land approaches, following regenerative farming principles and establishing best practice guidance.

Next steps

The finalisation of the Bioenergy Policy Statement will include edits to existing content according to insights that have emerged through the analysis of the consultation responses. Some of the content will also be updated to reflect developments in policy across the Scottish Government and UK Government.