SW biomass resource assessment

The Environment Agency and AEA Group have undertaken an assessment to quantify the potential biomass resource in the south west.

Scope of the resource assessment

The assessment estimates and maps the quantity of available regional biomass resource in the south west for the following categories (feedstock):

• forestry
• energy crops
• waste wood
• agricultural waste
• sewage sludge
• organic waste - municipal, commercial and industrial (MSW) food waste.

The spatial mapping of feedstocks in this assessment is to a resolution of 1 km2 and presented at regional level.

A range of constraints have been employed in the assessments based on a review of those employed in previous studies. The categories of biomass feed stock constraints used in the assessment are yield, availability, social, environmental.

Maximum available resource

In total, the resource assessment found that the overall maximum estimated available biomass resource in the south west is 604,577 oven dried tonnes (odt) for clean woody biomass; 138,707 odt for contaminated woody biomass; and 148 million3 of methane from wet biomass sources. The assessment also identifies the estimated maximum available resource for each individual feedstock.

Refining the data

To ensure the assessment is of most practicable use, Regen SW is working with AEA Group over the summer to refine the regional biomass assessment to local authority level and to disaggregate the feedstock categories into a number of sub-categories that make up the overall resource. This will provide more granularity of assessment per resource type and location. The feedstock sub-categories to be delivered are:

Waste wood

• MSW waste wood
• industrial and construction
• demolition

Agricultural

• cattle
• dairy
• pig
• poultry

Organic waste

• MSW
• industrial and commercial

These sub-categories will be mapped to a resolution of 1 km2 and will be available in GIS layers.
Regen SW has taken this data and presented it in GIS format to local authority level. We expect to make the disaggregated GIS layers available to local authorities from October 2010.

Accessing the GIS dataset

Local authorities wishing to obtain the GIS layers for their own use will need to produce signed confirmation that they hold appropriate licenses. Local authorities will need to pay an administrative charge of £550 to receive the data in their preferred format. This will entitle the user to the transfer of all available data layers from the south west heat map and resource assessments.

For more information please email Josie Ashe.