The Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2009 prohibits the combustion of native forest biomaterials for electricity generation with several exemptions. On 7 March 2014, the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Amendment (Native Forest Bio-material) Regulation 2013 amended the original Regulation to permit the combustion of four additional types of native forest biomaterials for electricity generation. According to Anthony Roberts, NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, “The new regulation is in line with the NSW Renewable Energy Action Plan to remove barriers to renewable energy production”.

This backgrounder sets out links to key sources including NSW and Commonwealth regulatory material, Australian and international research, and key stakeholder groups. For copyright reasons, links to journal articles and media are generally only available through the Parliament’s Intranet.