BECCS at Drax will deliver good jobs, growth and clean energy for millions of homes
What is BECCS at Drax?
BECCS – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – is a unique technology that generates renewable energy while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Drax is set to be one of the first BECCS power stations in the world. BECCS at Drax could remove 8 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere annually – equivalent to cancelling all departing flights from Heathrow – while also generating clean power for 5 million homes.
With Government support to unlock our £2bn investment, BECCS at Drax will create and support up to 10,000 jobs, boost regional growth and energy security.
Why back BECCS at Drax?
As the only technology that produces clean power and removes carbon from the atmosphere, BECCS at Drax is projected to save £15 billion for billpayers on the UK’s path to Net Zero.
It will put the UK and Humber at the forefront of carbon removal technology development, support the Government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, and create and support thousands of high-quality jobs.
Find out more from the latest Baringa report analysis: development of BECCS at Drax Power Station is projected to save the UK £15bn and offset carbon emissions equivalent to all departing flights from Heathrow.
Energy security
As the country’s largest power station, Drax is crucial for UK energy security generating 9% of the UK’s renewable power – the largest single source.
With BECCS it will continue to protect our energy security for decades to come. It will provide reliable clean power for 5 million homes and help to manage fluctuating supply from wind and solar on windless or cloudy days.
Transitioning the power station to BECCS by 2030 will help the UK through an energy security ‘crunch point’ later this decade when power demand is set to exceed secure dispatchable and baseload capacity by 7.5 GW at peak times.
High quality jobs, skills and opportunities
BECCS will transform Drax into the largest carbon removal facility in the world, helping position the UK and the Humber as a world leader in carbon removal technology.
BECCS at Drax will create and support 10,000 jobs during construction and help build a world leading skills base in the Humber.
Deliver clean power at lowest cost for billpayers
The lowest cost route to Net Zero requires negative emissions technologies, like BECCS, that remove carbon from the atmosphere. These technologies put the ‘net’ in Net Zero because they neutralise emissions from sectors that are difficult and costly to fully decarbonise, such as agriculture and aviation.
Because BECCS can provide negative emissions and generate clean energy at the same time, it can help bring down cost for billpayers. BECCS at Drax is projected to save the UK £15bn between 2030 and 2050 compared to other, more complex options.
A Baringa modelled Net Zero pathway without BECCS at Drax shows the UK would need 700,000 more heat pump installations, large amounts of additional offshore and onshore wind (7 GW more) and more energy storage, on top of a big increase in renewable synthetic gas production.
The additional cost of doing all that would amount to an estimated £700m a year between 2030 and 2050.
