More Norfolk farmers are being sought to grow a towering bioenergy crop which has been proven to be "net carbon negative".

Miscanthus, also known as "elephant grass", is a perennial bamboo-like plant which thrives on unproductive land, growing up to 12 feet high with the potential to yield 15 tonnes per hectare.

It is already established on more than 7,000 hectares of marginal land in the UK, and is thought to have the potential to contribute significantly to the UK’s 2050 "net zero" emissions target.

And, in the next nine years, crop specialist Terravesta is seeking to treble the area of miscanthus grown as a feedstock for the biomass renewable power plant at Snetterton.

Chief operating officer Alex Robinson said: "We are looking for miscanthus growers in Norfolk to supply Snetterton Renewable Energy Plant.

"We currently have around 400ha of miscanthus planted [in the county], and we are aiming to increase this to at least 1,250ha by 2030."

Terravesta was recently awarded more than £150,000 of funding through the government’s Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme to increase the planted area of miscanthus to help contribute to net zero targets.

And a dedicated study has shown the crop to be "net carbon negative", capturing at least 0.64 tonnes of carbon per hectare, per year, in the soil.

The research was conducted by Jan Lask, from the University of Hohenheim in Germany.

The study separately measured the two simultaneous carbon cycles of miscanthus - the biomass growing above ground which recycles the carbon produced through planting, harvesting and burning the crop for renewable electricity, and the underground rhizome and decaying leaf litter which fixes and stores carbon each year as it grows.

Dr Jason Kam, Terravesta research and development manager, said the results could help farmers accurately calculate the carbon sequestration of their crops.

“There has been a lack of understanding on how carbon is evaluated, and many unsubstantiated figures used," he said.

"The need to resolve this will be crucial in delivering the industrial, economic and societal changes needed to build a sustainable future."