Biomass Suppliers List – The New Tool for Sourcing Your Wood Fuel

Published: November 13 2014

In an effort to make sure that biomass fuel is sustainable the UK Government has issued new sustainability criteria for the Renewable Heat Incentive. This new criteria will affect both domestic and commercial RHI participants and the new regulations are to come into effect during 2015.

Here at Wye Valley Energy, we don’t want any of our biomass boiler customers to get caught out so have created an information page so you know what to do when these regulations come into force. The changes are to ensure wood sourced for the purpose of biomass fuel is sustainably sourced.

What You Have To Do:

Commercial RHI

Participants who fall under the commercial RHI payments will have two options available for their woodfuel.

Option A is sourcing woodfuel from the Biomass Suppliers List. The BSL is comprised of producers and traders of authorised fuels as well as self-suppliers of fuel for biomass boilers.

If a participant decides to use option A, certification is validated through accreditation of the fuel supplier into the Biomass Suppliers List. This ensures that the certificate has been issued to the company who is selling the fuel and covers the products being sold.

Option B is for those whose suppliers are not registered with the BSL. However, they can prove their woodfuel meets the eligibility requirements set forth under the Timber Procurement Policy. Under this option you must make quarterly declarations that the fuel you have used meets the criteria, and OFGEM will conduct annual audits.

Domestic RHI

For Domestic RHI participants there is only one option available: all wood fuel suppliers must be registered on the BSL. It is recommended that you keep a record of your supplier and delivery for five years. In addition, OFGEM will make annual declarations that your wood fuel has been sourced sustainably from a BSL approved provider, or as with commercial RHI you can become a self- supplier.

Self-Suppliers

If you are lucky enough to have resources to self-supply you need to register this on the Biomass Suppliers List. This means that you register yourself on the BSL in order to make quarterly declarations, and use your own wood fuel source. However, participants with a heat capacity of 1MW or above do not qualify for self-supply.

To read the full version of our guide, click here.