How Drax supports the UK energy system
Our dispatchable, flexible, and renewable assets can react quickly to help balance the energy system and help keep the lights on, supporting the UK’s energy security.
Our UK assets include:
Drax Power Station:
It has a capacity of 2.6GW capable of generating enough renewable electricity a year to power the equivalent of over eight million homes
Cruachan pumped storage hydro:
Cruachan can produce 440MW of renewable electricity – enough to power the equivalent of over 1.4 million homes.
Hydro-electric
schemes:
Based in Scotland, they have a combined capacity of 126MW – enough to power the equivalent of around 400,000 homes.
Energy Security in the news
A prosperous future needs energy security and carbon removals – BECCS delivers both
Drax CEO, Will Gardiner, outlines how carbon removals technology can support energy security while tackling climate change.
Analysis: Delays to building new UK power generation creates energy security ‘crunch point’ in 2028
New independent analysis by Public First, ‘Mind the gap: Exploring Britain’s energy crunch’, commissioned by Drax Group (Drax), reveals that the UK will hit an energy security “crunch point” in 2028.
Drax helps businesses save money and support energy security
Renewable energy leader Drax is taking part in a new world-leading power demand reduction service which will see businesses help keep the lights on in the UK this winter.
Recent research
The Value of BECCS at Drax Power Station by Baringa
- Cost savings from carbon removals from BECCS at Drax are projected to be equivalent to £700m per year from 2030 to 2050, compared to other more complex carbon reduction measures
- Annual amount of carbon captured by the project would be equivalent to taking 3 million cars off the road or cancelling all annual departing flights from Heathrow
- BECCS at Drax is believed to be the only credible, large-scale carbon removals option that could deliver energy security and support the UK’s 2030 Greenhouse Gas Removals target
- A bridging mechanism, a key enabler of BECCS, applied prior to the start of BECCS operations could save billions particularly if gas prices spike
Mind the gap: Exploring Britain’s energy crunch by Public First
- By 2028 the UK’s demand for power is set to exceed secure dispatchable and baseload capacity by 7.5GW at peak times
- “Crunch point” is a result of delays in bringing new generation on to the system, increasing demand for power and upcoming retirement of existing assets
- Shortfall would leave UK more dependent on intermittent domestic and international generation
- Mitigation includes extending the use of existing nuclear and dispatchable generation, including biomass, and supporting reduction in peak demand
