Funds donated to the British Columbia Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal will be used for immediate and ongoing relief efforts, long-term recovery, resilience and preparedness for future events in the province and impacted regions.
Drax’s contribution will be tripled as both the Government of Canada and the Province of BC have committed to match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross to support those affected by the disaster.
Matt White, Executive Vice President of Drax’s Pellet Operations
Matt White, Executive Vice President of Drax’s Pellet Operations said:
“This past year has been very challenging for folks in British Columbia – first the continuing Covid pandemic, then the wildfires and now the floods that have devastated the lives and homes of many people.
“We believe it’s important to support the people who live in the areas where we operate, and we hope this donation helps British Columbians take the first steps towards repairing their lives and rebuilding their communities.”
Seventeen regional districts were affected by the November floods, mudslides and landslides including southern Vancouver Island, the South Coast, parts of the Interior and the Kootenay Region where thousands of homes were damaged and many people are still unable to return home.
Road and rail infrastructure was also damaged and could take months to repair.
In April, British energy company Drax acquired Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc – a major producer of biomass pellets with operations across BC and Alberta in Canada and Alabama in the US.
Mudslides took out large portions of the Coquihalla Highway, a major highway in British Columbia, in more than 20 sites, totaling 130 km of damage. [Photo Credit: BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure]
Pat Quealey, Vice-President, BC and Yukon, Canadian Red Cross said:
“Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, Red Cross is able to support the immediate and ongoing relief and recovery efforts for people impacted by these devastating floods. The road to recovery will be long for many people, and Drax’s contribution will make a difference in ensuring our teams can support them as they recover from this disaster.”
Officials expect this extreme weather event to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. The Canadian Red Cross is working alongside First Nations and provincial, local and governments to support individuals, families and communities impacted by extreme weather events in B.C.
To make a donation to the British Columbia Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal:
- visit redcross.ca
- call 1-800-418-1111
- or text BCFLOODS to 30333.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Karen Brandt
[email protected]
250 510 0545
Editor’s Notes
- Drax produces sustainable compressed wood pellets at its pellet plants in Canada and the US.
- Drax’s Canadian wood pellets are principally sourced from sawdust and other materials left over from existing sawmilling activity, which would otherwise be left to decompose or be burned.
- Some of the pellets are shipped to Drax Power Station in England and used to generate renewable electricity for millions of UK homes and businesses. The rest is sold to other customers around the world.
- Drax’s pellet plants in Canada also deliver economic growth and jobs.
About Drax
Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology.
Its 3,400 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties.
For more information visit www.drax.com/ca
Power generation:
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.
Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.
Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.
Pellet production and supply:
Drax owns and has interests in 17 pellet mills in the US South and Western Canada which have the capacity to manufacture 4.9 million tonnes of compressed wood pellets (biomass) a year. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.
Drax’s pellet mills supply around 30% of the biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.
Customers:
Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.
It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.
To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com
