Drax – 50 years of moving forward

Half a century of bringing power to the people

Drax Power Station has been keeping the UK’s lights on for over 50 years. It is the largest power station in the country, capable of providing power for 5 million homes, and playing a crucial role in ensuring the UK’s energy security.

Yorkshire Post documentaries

Episode 1. Energy security

Drax has been keeping the lights on for over 50 years. With BECCS at Drax Power Station, we can protect UK energy security for decades to come.

Episode 2. Jobs & skills

BECCS at Drax Power Station will help create and support 10,000 jobs during construction – sustaining the skills development and job security we provide today, long into the future.

Episode 3. Decarbonisation

BECCS can deliver 24/7 renewable power and simultaneously remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping the UK reach its clean energy goals.

Later this decade, the power station is hoping to transition from sustainable biomass generation to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) enabling it to continue to generate power for millions of homes and, with the right support, help the UK avoid an energy security ‘crunch point’ in 2028.

Drax’s ambition for BECCS goes beyond the UK and Yorkshire. The company has bold plans to become a global leader in the technology, capitalising on what McKinsey predicts could be a $1.2 trillion industry by 2050.

In 2024, Drax announced the launch of Elimini, a US-based business with an ambition to be a leader in carbon removals. Elimini is dedicated to permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere while generating renewable, 24/7 power.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Drax Power Station has been keeping the lights on for over 50 years and could be set to for another 50 with the cutting-edge carbon removal technology: BECCS.

Since producing its first watt of power, Drax Power Station has successfully transformed from Western Europe’s largest coal-fired power station into the UK’s single-largest generator of renewable electricity from sustainable biomass.

We’re now preparing for our next chapter as we aim to become a global leader in carbon removals. We are currently progressing plans to deliver BECCS by 2030, with projects able to permanently remove a volume of c.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Plus, we have plans to expand our existing pumped storage hydro plant at Cruachan, which will more than double its electricity generating capacity.

Our exciting plans will ensure we support global decarbonisation, protect energy security and build new jobs and skills for another 50 years and beyond – all while continuing to support the communities we operate in.

For over 50 years Drax Power Station has been generating power and high quality jobs

Drax Power Station has kept Britain’s lights on for 50 years. As well as playing a key role in the country’s energy security and providing enough power for 4 million homes, we have also been a long-term source of high-quality well-paid jobs, too.

Learn more.

Our history

Today, we’re proud that Drax is a symbol of transformation, having transitioned as a business from coal to biomass. Drax Power Station is the largest power station in the country, providing power for four million homes, and playing a crucial role in UK energy security.