gillian alker forestry commission south east region alker forestry commission south east region...
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Woodfuel Grants in the South East of England
Gillian Alker
Forestry Commission
South East Region
Grants - Conversion Technologies
• Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme
http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/crops/industrial/energy/capital-grants.htm
Eligibility: Almost anyone, most capital items.
Match with: Non-public funds (except LA schools which can match with LA
money)
• Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE)
http://www.seeda.co.uk/Work_in_the_Region/Rural_Issues/Rural_Develop
ment_Programme_for_England/
Eligibility: Farmers, rural micro-businesses, most capital items where use is
“on-farm” or for farm diversification.
Match with: Non-public funds
• Low Carbon Building Programme
www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
Eligibility: Phase 1 - householders and private buinesses, Phase 2 - public
sector and charitable bodies
Match with: Non-public funds
Grants - Conversion Technologies
• Big Lottery Fund - Community Sustainable Energy Programme
http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk/
Eligibility: Community-based organisations (inc. schools and colleges),
for wood pellet stoves and wood boilers and feasibility studies.
Match with: any source
• Utilities Funds - mostly for community or educational purposes
EDF - Green Energy Fund
Powergen - Green Plan Fund
Scottish Power - Green Energy Trust
E.On - Sustainable Energy Fund
Finance - Conversion Technologies
• Salix Finance
http://www.salixfinance.co.uk/home.html
Eligibility: Public sector, LA, NHS government, any RE capital
Match with: Any
Operational cost savings used as the repayments.
• Carbon Trust Renewable Energy Loans
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy/takingaction/loans_renewables.htm
Eligibility: Private sector SMEs, £5-10,000 for any RE capital
Match with: Any
• Enhanced Capital Allowance
http://www.eca.gov.uk
Eligibility: Businesses
Offers 100% capital allowance on biomass systems within the 1st tax
year
Grants for fuel and supply chain• English Woodland Grant Scheme
www.forestry.gov.uk/ewgs
Eligibility: private woodland owners
Match with: Non-public funds
• Energy Crops Scheme
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/ecs/default.
aspx
Eligibility: Land owners
Match with: Non-public funds
• Bioenergy Infrastructure Scheme
http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/crops/industrial/energy/infrastructure.htm
Eligibility: Any organisation, most capital items, also producer groups
Match with: Non-public funds
• RDPE web site as before
Eligibility: Farmers, Foresters, most capital items
Match with: Non-public funds
Grants - keeping up-to-date
www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk
click on grants
Renewable Heat Incentive
• Financial assistance for renewable heating - income
for each kW produced.
• All scales - household, communities and industrial
• All technologies - biomass boilers, solar hot water,ground and air source heat pumps, biomass CHP,
anaerobic digestion and biomethane injected into thegas grid
• Banded for size and technology
• Details under development
• Funded by a levy on suppliers offossil fuel for heat, gas, coal, oil
and LPG suppliers
• In place in April 2011
Woodheat solutions project
• European project
• Share best practice from Austria and Finland with
potential investors in England, Slovenia and Croatia
• By raising awareness about the opportunities forwoodfuelled heating and sharing best practice
through:
• information, advice and guidance for suppliers, users andadvisors;
• training, workshops, part-funded study tours to Austria andFinland;
Woodfuel and RDPE Funding
Jane Hull
FC SE Rural Development
Officer
Outline
• RDPE Grants available for woodfuel
• Eligibility
• How to access the grants
• Forestry Commission’s role
• Contact information
Funding Available
• EWGS - funding for woodland management activity
• Administered by the Forestry Commission
• -----------------------------------------------------------------------
• RDPE - Rural Development Programme for England -
Until 2013
RDPE - Direct to SEEDA (over £50k grant)
Leader (Under £50k grant)
• Up to 40-50% of capital investment - competitive
• Over £850,000 has been invested in the forest
industry from RDPE since May 08.
EWGS Grants
Grant Type What the grant is forWoodlandPlanning Grant
Preparation of plans that both assist withmanagement of the woodland and meet the UKWoodland Assurance Standard.
WoodlandAssessmentGrant
Gathering of information to improve managementdecisions
WoodlandRegenerationGrant
Supporting desirable change in woodlandcomposition through natural regeneration andrestocking after felling.
WoodlandImprovementGrant
Work in woodlands to create, enhance and sustainpublic benefits.
WoodlandManagementGrant
Contribution to additional costs of providing andsustaining higher-quality public benefits from existingwoodlands.
WoodlandCreation Grant
Encouraging the creation of new woodlands wherethey deliver the greatest public benefits, includingannual Farm Woodland Payments to compensate foragricultural income forgone.
Woodland Planning Grant
• For properties with over 3 ha woodland
• All woodland within a property should be included
• £1000 minimum payment (3.0ha minimum size) (was
£300).
• £20 for the first 100ha, £10 thereafter
• Approval of thinning, felling & restocking proposals as
part of plan (details to be announced)
Woodland Assessment Grant
• To support information gathering that improves
management decisions
• Information should reflect the sensitivity of the site
and proposed work.
• Minimum payment £300
• Ecological assessment £5.60/ha
• Landscape Design Plan £2.80/ha
• Historical and Cultural Heritage £5.60/ha
• Determining Stakeholder Interests £300 / assessment
Woodland Regeneration Grant
• To support the re-establishment of trees when felling
has taken place.
• Restocking on Ancient Woodland Sites varies from£0/ha to £1760/ha
• Restocking on Secondary Woodland Sites varies
from £350/ha to £1100/ha
• Opened 1st May 2009 for payments in 10/11
• Rates have remained the same but there is an increase in funding
available
Woodland Management Grant
• Supporting the basic management activities that
underpin woodland sustainability
• £30/ha/year on eligible area with sufficient worktaking place to justify the grant
Eased Eligibility Criteria
WMG (woodlands 30-100ha)• no longer require certification
• require an approved management plan (must be done prior to WMG
application)
WMG contract period• 5 years (1st Jan-31st Dec)
• Autumn annual payment
• Contracts must be signed and approved by 15th May each year
Woodland Improvement Grant
• To support capital projects which sustain and
increase public benefits in woodlands
• ie access tracks, uneconomic thinning, coppicing,rhododendron clearance, public access facilities
• 50 or 80% contribution towards
• SSSI - to maintain or achieve favourable condition (80%)
• BAP - to deliver UK Biodiversity Action Plan for prioritywoodland habitats and species (50%)
• Public Access - to provide and improve public accessfacilities where there is a need (50 or 80%).
Regional WIG Target areas
Higher rates
Standard costs of an operation are used to calculate the amount ofgrant (usually 50 or 80% of the standard cost).
- average 20% increase
eg. Coppicing 30year plus stools - £1600/ha to £1800/ha
All woodland SSSIs (not just those in unfavourable condition) willget 80% WIG
Woodland Creation Grant
• To support the creation of properly designed and well
located new woodlands
• £1800/ha broadleaf
• £1200/ha conifer
• £700/ha special broadleaf
• Additional contribution of £2000/ha for applications
that meet national or regional priorities
• Farm Woodland Payments for up to 15 years
• Applications close 30th September 2009
RDPE and Woodfuel
The development of woodfuel is a high priority activity for RDPE
•Strong support for woodfuel supply chain •Only certain businesses can get support forboilers
Woodfuel supply chain
• In the forest:
• Woodland owners:
• Harvesting equipment
• Extraction equipment
• Forestry tracks
• Forestry contractors or farmers:
• Harvesting equipment
• Extraction equipment
Woodfuel supply chain
• Producing woodfuel
• Forestry micro-enterprises, farmingbusinesses or any rural micro-enterprises:
• Wood chippers
• Log splitters
• Firewood processors
• Storage to ensure high qualitylow moisture content chip is
produced eg storage barn
• Equipment to deliver woodfuel
Woodfuel boilers and RDPE
• RDPE in the SE has targeted its support for woodfuel
boilers to farmers:
• On farm use
• ie grain drying
• Agricultural diversification
• ie supplying energy to farm / estate cottages
• supplying energy to office buildings on the farm
• ESCOs
Funded so far….
• Small harvesting head for forestry contractor to increasemechanised harvesting in small woodlands, including sweetchestnut coppice
• Heavy duty crane fed chipper and splitter for forestrycontracting and tree surgery business to diversify into woodfuelsupply
• Chipper and chip storage building for estate to supplywoodchip
• 60KW boiler for estate to supply heat to 10-12 office units, alsowoodchipper, store, tipping trailer.
• Firewood processors with associated extraction equipmentand delivery vehicles
RDPE Training
• LandSkills South East - £2.1m available to the land basedsector for training
• The Ignite training course - Autumn 2009
• The Woodfuel Supply Chain - 20-22nd Oct, WoodlandEnterprise Centre (E Sussex)
• Managing Woodlands for Woodfuel - 17th Nov, SustainabilityCentre (Hampshire)
• Woodfuel Quality Standards, 18th Nov, Sustainability Centre(Hampshire)
• Woodfuel for Rural Estates, 19th Nov, Berkshire AgriculturalCollege, Maidenhead (to be confirmed)
RDPE - Who can get what support?
Applicant Activity Grant Rate
Woodlandowners
Increase the economic value of yourwoodland by:
• Purchasing forest management equipment
• Developing the forest infrastructure
• Undertaking recreation feasibility studies
Up to 50%
New orExistingForestryMicro-Enterprises
Support the development of your businessthrough capital investment in equipment andbuildings to:
• Add value to forest products
• Develop new markets for your products
• Improve the efficiency and safety of yourproduction
• Develop new products
• Develop the woodfuel supply chain
• Feasibility studies
• Marketing
Up to 40%
Land basedbusinesses
Undertake training in woodlandmanagement, business marketing, healthand safety.
Varies up to70%
RDPE Direct to SEEDA
• At least £4m available to the forestry sector until
2013 - in addition to Leader funding
• FC working with SEEDA to deliver these projects
• To apply:
• 1) Complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) -downloadable from the SEEDA website
• 2) If EOI eligible, complete an Application Form
• 3) Information is submitted to the RegionalAssessment Panel
• 14 Leader Local Action Groups (LAGs) each
delivering approx £1.5m until 2013
• Fund projects up to £50k grant funding
• Project needs to be eligible under RDPE and satisfythe objectives of the LAG
• http://www.seeda.co.uk/RDPE/Leader/index.asp
RDPE Leader
Leader Map
NB - Paperwork and Processes1!
• Business address in SE England
• Not just replacement - must enhance or expand the business
• Second hand equipment is ok, but not keen on hire purchase
• Must have grant agreement in place before purchase
• Will need to bank roll full cost whilst claiming grant
• Maximum grant agreement - 3 years
NB - Paperwork and Processes2!
• 2 monthly closing dates for applications
• You will need:
• 3 quotes for the capital expenditure
• 3 years trading accounts
• a Single Business Identifier (SBI) from the Rural Payments Agency
• a business plan
• For buildings - need to show that you have planning permission,OR have a letter from the planners saying you don’t needplanning permission
• It is a competitive process
FC’s role
• Promotion
• Advocacy
• Support
• Project Appraisal
•We want to ensure that forestry businesses are aware of the opportunities to invest in theirbusinesses
•We want to ensure good quality forestry projects get funded!
Contact Information
• Jane Hull - Wendover office
• 01296 696543 / 07747 622783
• Mike Habergham - Wendover Office
• 01296 696543 / 07831 557643
• www.forestry.gov.uk/segrants
• www.seeda.co.uk/RDPE