Biomass generated 40.1 TWh of electricity in the United Kingdom in 2024 â about 7.1% of total UK output â from 3.8 GW of dedicated plant biomass and co-firing capacity. The sector is dominated by large coal-to-biomass conversions such as Drax (2.6 GW) and Lynemouth (420 MW), with new plants planned such as the 299 MW Tees Renewable Energy Plant.
In 2003 Drax Power Station began co-firing biomass as a renewable alternative to coal.
Heat production in the United Kingdom is dominated by fossil fuels - particularly natural gas - which together supply over 90% of heat; the contribution from biomass is modest at about 6%.
Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) suppliers blended 1.89 billion litres of sustainable liquid biofuel in 2024 (9.1% by energy).
Between 2012 and 2024 Drax alone received ã11 billion in Renewable Obligation and CfD support; 2024 top-up payments totalled ã869 million. Critics argue that burning imported wood is neither cost-effective nor carbon-neutral.
A 2025 analysis by Ember found Drax emitted 13.3 Mt COâ in 2024 â more than the UK's six most carbon-intensive gas plants combined. NGOs and academics question the UK's carbon-accounting rules that rate imported biomass as zero-emission at the point of combustion. The proposed Tees Renewable Energy Plant is being challenged in court because of alleged environmental impacts.
The UK Biomass Strategy 2023 sets a hierarchy of uses favouring waste biomass and hard-to-electrify sectors and envisages up to 5 Mt COâ yâ»ù of durable removals via BECCS by 2030.