Energy business Drax contributed more than £1 billion towards UK GDP in 2015 and supported thousands of jobs across the country. The findings were revealed in a new report looking at the Group’s UK operations, which includes Drax Power Station – Europe’s largest decarbonisation project.
Researchers at Oxford Economics studied the impact of Drax Group on the UK’s economy as the company nears completion of a major high tech engineering and infrastructure project to upgrade half the generating units at Drax Power Station near Selby in North Yorkshire to use sustainable biomass in place of coal. With the right support from Government, Drax aims to upgrade the remainder of the Power Station.
Their report estimates that the Group’s UK activities and that of companies in its supply chain last year contributed £1.2 billion to the economy and supported 14,150 jobs.
Employment covered a wide range of sectors including high-skilled manufacturing of industrial components, engineering and technical machinery, construction, IT, professional business services and transport.
This combination of activity and employment also generated tax revenues for the UK estimated at £430 million, equivalent to the salaries of almost 16,500 nurses or 12,900 teachers.
Oxford Economics used three measures to calculate Drax Group’s GDP contribution: the direct activities of the Group and its contractors, activity and employment in the supply chain of the Group and its contractors, and spending by all employees involved.
A breakdown of the GDP generated by Drax Group shows all regions of the UK benefited.
Highlights include:
- £493 million created in Drax’s heartland of Yorkshire and the Humber.
- 1,100 jobs for the North East and £82m contributed to the local economy.
- £191 million generated in the East of England, where the group’s retail arm Haven Power is based.
- 1,700 jobs supported in Scotland and £120 million generated in its economy.
- 550 jobs sustained and £42 million contributed to GDP in the South West.
The report also analysed the economic impact of upgrading Drax to use compressed wood pellets instead of coal. It reveals this project has thus far generated £710 million in GDP throughout the UK economy, and supported 11,400 jobs, half of these in construction, manufacturing and transport.
Drax Group CEO, Dorothy Thompson, said:
“This report shows Drax is supporting more than 14,000 jobs across the UK, with the vast majority resulting from our upgrades to biomass technology.
“The economic benefit has reached all parts of the country. We have been the catalyst for rejuvenation and growth across the Northern Powerhouse with port expansion on the coasts of East Yorkshire, the North West and North East.
“Drax is now the UK’s biggest single generator of renewable power. With the right support from Government we aim to upgrade more of our electricity production to using compressed wood pellets. This would provide a further boost to the UK economy, and deliver increased carbon savings.”
Sam Moore, managing director of consultancy at Oxford Economics, said:
“Drax Group makes an important economic contribution to Yorkshire and the Humber, and the UK more widely. Its activities generated over £1 billion in GDP last year, and sustained thousands of jobs across the nation.
“In addition, ambitious investments by the group and its partners in regional biomass infrastructure have driven huge demand, and supported many more thousands of jobs.
“The Drax upgrades to use biomass in place of coal are also environmentally and strategically very significant, in the context of the wider challenges for the UK’s energy system.”
ENDS
Full details of the study can be found at draximpact.co.uk
Media contacts:
Jennifer Davies
Press Officer
Drax
01757 612084
[email protected]
Richard Harrison/Sarah Harrison
Imagen PR
01943 468778
[email protected]
Notes to editors:
- Case studies identifying specific suppliers in each region of the UK are available on request.
About Drax Group
Drax Group plc is an innovative energy company that owns and operates the UK’s largest power station in Selby, North Yorkshire, typically providing some 8% of the UK’s electricity. A vital strategic asset, the Group has transformed itself into a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator through its use of innovative technology and sustainably sourced wood pellets. The largest decarbonisation project in Europe is underway to provide the UK with cost-effective, low-carbon and reliable renewable power.
About Oxford Economics
Oxford Economics was founded in 1981 as a commercial venture with Oxford University’s business college to provide economic forecasting and modelling to UK companies and financial institutions expanding abroad. It is now one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms, providing reports, forecasts and analytical tools on 200 countries, 100 industrial sectors and over 3,000 cities. Its best-of-class global economic and industry models and analytical tools give an unparalleled ability to forecast external market trends and assess their economic, social and business impact.
About the study
Oxford Economics assessed the economic benefits of Drax Group using a standard means of analysis, called an economic impact assessment. This approach is applied in each of the three stages of the study.
