Norbord has hosted a conference on biomass subsidies for some of the leading national housebuilder heavyweights and key MPs at the House of Commons.
The event, designed to add weight to the Make Wood Work campaign, outlined the message that not enough wood was available in the UK to support the number and scale of biomass electricity plants currently being planned. Timber processors, including panel producers, argue that their businesses are under threat from power plants which can use subsidies to outbid them for raw material.
The message was presented by Tom Bruce Jones, joint managing director of James Jones & Sons, and Karl Morris, managing director of Norbord Europe.
They also discussed the effect that current government biomass policy will have on UK plc in terms of import dangers, environmental damage, build prices and employment.
“We are asking government to show some joined-up thinking on this emotive biomass question,” said Mr Morris.
“We are aiming for a level-playing field – with other industries in terms of subsidies – and hoping that the message is beginning to get through.
The presentations were followed by a round table discussion session and a dinner hosted by Anne McGuire MP with Lord Boswell of Anyho and Nick Harvey MP.
The guests were asked to sign a letter to Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change, which outlined the “unintended consequences of current energy policy”. A rollout of similar letters to constituency MPs will follow.
Norbord is planning further round table discussions to bring together the UK timber trade associations on the issue.
