Archives: Press Release

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Glasgow’s students are not left behind in their studies

13 May 2021

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • St Paul’s Primary & Nursery School, in Glasgow will receive 10 of the Drax laptops with pre-paid dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in Glasgow to 40.
  • The latest donation takes the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 10 more laptops to St Paul’s Primary and Nursery School in Glasgow, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

David Linden MP said:

“I was delighted to be able to link up St Paul’s Primary and Drax for this excellent initiative.

“Since my election in 2017, I’ve been incredibly impressed with Drax’ contribution to our local community and their genuine commitment to corporate social responsibility.  The laptops for learners programme is just the latest in an impressive list of actions which suggest Drax really cares and wants to make a real difference here in the East End.”

Geraldine Millar, Headteacher at St Paul’s Primary School, said:

“This donation of laptops and access to the internet from Drax will make a huge difference to children whose education has been impacted during the last year.  During the pandemic, we gave out school iPads to children but now school has returned we need these back in school.  These laptops will support children further, in giving access to the internet so they can continue to catch up on missed learning, whilst supporting their ongoing education.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

 

 

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Suffolk’s students are not left behind in their studies

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Three schools in Suffolk will receive 53 of the Drax laptops with pre-paid internet dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in the county to 182.
  • The latest donation means the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 53 more laptops to three schools across Suffolk, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Member of Parliament for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Dr Dan Poulter, said:

“It’s fantastic that schools have re-opened and children are now returning to their classroom learning. However, for some, they will not have had access to the equipment needed to stay connected during the lockdown.

“For children and young people with limited access to a laptop and the internet, the pandemic may have had a significant impact on their learning. This generous donation by Drax will help remove barriers to learning.”

Helen Dickenson, Acting Vice-Principal from Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy in Ipswich, said:

“The donation of laptops and access to the internet from Drax will make a huge difference to our students. We are planning to use them to support any of our students who need to connect remotely with their education at any point in the future, as well using them in the classroom to support their ongoing education.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

 

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Argyll & Bute’s students are not left behind in their studies

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Two schools, across Argyll & Bute will receive 20 of the Drax laptops with pre-paid dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in Argyll & Bute to 100.
  • The latest donation takes the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 20 more laptops to two schools across Argyll & Bute, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Welcoming the donation, Argyll & Bute MP Brendan O’Hara, said:

“This is a fantastic donation that will benefit so many young people as well as a great example of how companies operating and providing employment in this area can foster good community relations.

“As well as donations of laptops, the provision of dongles will be exceptionally welcome in areas where connectivity can be poor. School children and their teachers have worked so hard during the pandemic and it’s good to see them being supported like this.”

Yvonne McNeilly, Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Education, said:

“I am delighted by this kind gesture. These laptops will enable our children and young people to access a huge range of resources that will support their education for the considerable future. Thank you.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

 

 

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Lanarkshire students are not left behind in their studies

Press releases
Portrait of a student learning on line with headphones and laptop taking notes in a notebook sitting at her desk at home
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Three schools, in Lanarkshire will receive 10 of the Drax laptops with pre-paid dongles.
  • The latest donation takes the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 10 laptops to three schools in Lanarkshire to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Mark Sherry, Head Teacher of Lanark Grammar School, said:

“This donation of laptops and access to the internet from Drax will make a huge difference to students whose education has been impacted during the last year.

These laptops will be a great addition to our digital learning resources in supporting the education of young people both now and as they continue their journey through school and we are enormously grateful of this support from Drax.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes 

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

 

 

Drax to kickstart development of $40m Arkansas pellet plants

6 May 2021

Press releases

The three plants are together expected to produce around 120,000 metric tons of sustainable biomass pellets a year from sawmill residues, supporting the renewable energy company’s plans to increase self-supply to its power station in the U.K.

Drax will begin construction of the first plant later this month near a West Fraser sawmill in Leola, Grant County – with commissioning expected in October. The company will begin construction on two more plants in other locations in the coming months. In total, Drax will invest $40 million in the state, creating approximately 30 new direct jobs and many more indirect jobs across three Arkansas communities.

Drax has transformed its power station in the U.K. to become the largest decarbonization project in Europe by converting it to use sustainable biomass instead of coal.

The development of the “satellite” pellet plants is part of Drax’s strategy to increase biomass self-supply to five million tons by 2027, improving supply chain resilience while reducing pellet costs.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner [click to view/download]

“By building these new pellet plants Drax is bringing jobs and opportunities to rural communities in Arkansas, boosting the state’s post-COVID economic recovery.“Through this investment, Arkansas will play an important role in combating climate change, supporting Drax to increase the amount of sustainable biomass we produce as part of our plans to pioneer bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. By using sustainable biomass, we have displaced coal-fired power generation, reduced carbon emissions and provided renewable electricity for millions of homes and businesses in the UK.”

The Leola “satellite” pellet plant is expected to produce around 40,000 metric tons of sustainable biomass pellets a year. Drax will also utilize the sawdust and other dry residual materials, which are by-products created when timber is processed, at West Fraser’s facility.

“Drax’s ambitious company vision combined with the renowned tenacity and loyalty of Arkansans make this partnership an excellent match,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “I am confident that this investment will benefit both the company and our communities for years to come.”

By co-locating the pellet facilities with sawmills, Drax will benefit from lower infrastructure, operational, and transportation costs.

“Each of these three Arkansas communities will be uniquely impacted by today’s announcement,” Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said. “Families in different regions across the state will experience new opportunities and their communities will experience continued growth because of Drax’s investment. I congratulate Drax on this exciting news and look forward to the ways that Arkansas will be influential in accomplishing the company’s mission to provide renewable electricity for millions of homes and businesses.”

Reducing the costs of its biomass supports the renewable energy company’s world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030 by developing bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This vital negative emissions technology could permanently remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while producing the renewable electricity needed to decarbonize global economies and address the climate emergency.

Drax owns and has interests in 17 other pellet plants and development projects across the U.S.  and South and Western Canada.

The company will host job fairs to recruit for positions at the Leola site later this month.

Media contacts:

Annmarie Sartor
Drax Biomass Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: +1 318-801-0046

Aidan Kerr
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: +44 7849 090368

Picture caption: Morehouse BioEnergy, an existing Drax Biomass wood pellet plant located in Louisiana, close to the border with Arkansas. The majority of its fibre comes from responsibly managed working forests in Arkansas and sawmill residues. Click to view/download here. 

Editor’s Notes

  • The sustainable biomass pellets produced at the new satellite plants will be transported to Bruce Oakley terminal in Little Rock, Ark. before being shipped south to Louisiana to oceangoing vessels.
  • Each pellet plant is expected to produce 40kt per year, with the total cluster expected to produce120kt per year.
  • The development of the three ‘satellite’ plants comes after Drax’s recent acquisition of 11 pellet plants across the USA and Canada, making it a world-leading biomass pellet production and supply business.
  • Drax’s strategy is to reduce the costs of its pellets to £50/MWh by 2027.
  • In 2020, around 43% of the material used in Drax Power Station’s pellets came from sawmill residues. The rest came from low-grade material such as treetops, limbs and misshapen and diseased trees not suitable for other use and thinnings – small trees removed maximise the growth of the forest.

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.

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 20% 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: 

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Drax signs up to ambitious Race To Zero climate commitment

29 April 2021

Press releases
Aerial photo of biomass storage domes, Drax Power Station

Drax Group has today joined the Race to Zero, committing the company to science-based targets to help fight the climate crisis.

Led by the United Nations, Drax joins more than 2000 companies worldwide, that have signed up to the campaign, which brings together businesses, cities, regions, states, and universities with a joint commitment to science-based net zero targets to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.

Drax has already made ambitious climate commitments and was the first company in the world to announce a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, at COP 25 in Madrid in 2019.

Having converted its power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. Now it plans to go further by using a vital negative emissions technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), to capture and permanently remove millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, creating a negative carbon footprint for the company.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“The climate crisis is the greatest challenge the world faces, and tackling it requires action that transcends borders, bringing together businesses and governments with a shared goal.

“At Drax, we’re investing in the innovative green technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which will be vital if the UK is to meet its ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, announced by the Prime Minister last week. By joining Race to Zero we are committing to further reducing our emissions and tackling the climate emergency.”

Andrew Griffith MP, Net Zero Champion, said:

“I’m delighted Drax has signed on to be part of the Race to Zero coalition. Businesses have a central role to play in making a successful transition to a low carbon economy and shifting to a net-zero emissions economy requires coordinated action across all sectors. I hope other businesses across the sector follow in Drax’s footsteps and join the Race to Zero.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

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.

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 20% 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:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.comcop

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Yorkshire’s students are not left behind in their studies

27 April 2021

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Seven schools, across Yorkshire will receive 54 of the Drax HP Chromebook laptops with pre-paid dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in Yorkshire to 402.
  • The latest donation takes the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 54 more laptops to seven schools across Yorkshire, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty said:

“I would like to thank Drax for the vital role they have played throughout the Covid pandemic by generating our electricity but also for their donations of equipment which has enabled children to continue with their education while schools were closed.

“This donation of 320 additional laptops including these to Kellington Primary School will help children with their education by giving them easy access to the wide range of approved educational material that is now available on-line. Now that our children are back at school technology can be used more and more to help children reach their full potential.”

Helen Humphrys, Headteacher at Kellington Primary School, near Selby, said:

“The kind donation of ten Chromebooks, with access to the internet, from Drax will make a huge difference to the children here at Kellington Primary School. We have and continue to use digital platforms to support the teaching and learning we provide both within school and to access at home. The Chromebooks will allow more of our children access to the internet in order to support their ‘catch-up’ of missed learning and their ongoing education.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Picture caption: Kellington Primary – Drax Community Engagement Team Leader Jane Breach, Parliamentary Assistant to Nigel Adams MP Howard Ferguson and Headteacher Helen Humphrys as well as pupils receiving the Drax branded Chromebooks. Names L-R: Elliot, Charlotte, Max, William and Poppy

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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: 

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Lincolnshire’s students are not left behind in their studies

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Seven schools in Lincolnshire will receive 96 of the Drax HP Chromebook laptops with pre-paid internet dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in the county to 160.
  • The latest donation means the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 96 more laptops to seven schools across Lincolnshire, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Martin Vickers, MP for the Cleethorpes, said:

“It’s great news that schools are re-opening and children are returning to their learning. However, for some, they will not have had access to the equipment needed to stay connected during the lockdown.

“For children and young people with limited access to a laptop and the internet, the pandemic will have had a significant impact on their learning. This generous donation by Drax will help remove barriers to learning and I’m delighted to give it my support.”

Caroline Breslin, Headteacher at New Holland Primary School, said:

“This donation of laptops and access to the internet from Drax will make a huge difference to students whose education has been impacted during the last year.  These laptops will be essential, in giving access to the internet so students can catch-up on missed learning, whilst supporting their ongoing education.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Picture caption: New Holland Students receiving Drax Branded Chromebooks L-R: Lewis, Laura, Ashleigh and Sebastian, JD Networks Director Richard Loftus and School IT Coordinator Amy Box

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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: 

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Drax delivers laptops for learners to ensure Scotland’s students are not left behind in their studies

Press releases
  • Energy company Drax is delivering 320 more laptops with prepaid internet access to schools and colleges local to its operations across Britain, to ensure students whose learning has been affected by Covid lockdowns can catch-up.
  • Nine schools, across Scotland will receive 60 of the Drax HP Chromebook laptops with pre-paid dongles – taking the total donated by Drax to schools in Scotland to 242.
  • The latest donation takes the total number of laptops provided by Drax, to more than 90 schools, to around 1,200, over the last 12 months.

Energy company Drax is furthering its commitment to supporting the education of children and young people local to its operations, by donating 60 more laptops to nine schools across Scotland, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the Covid pandemic.

The donation is part of a national effort, which has seen the company donate over 1,200 laptops to 90 schools across Britain, to ensure no child is left behind as a result of school closures.

The £60,000 investment includes three months of pre-paid internet access via a 30GB dongle, to enable students to catch-up on missed learning following the re-opening of schools as the UK’s third lockdown comes to an end.

The laptops are being delivered to Drax’s partner schools local to its operations across Britain as part of the energy company’s efforts to support its communities as they recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It follows the launch of Drax’s Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to connect with one million people by 2025 to improve skills, education, employability and opportunity.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We’ve given around 1,200 laptops to almost 100 schools since the Covid crisis started. Ensuring no child is left disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic is crucial if we are to avoid a lost generation of young people, by helping them to stay connected and catch-up on their learning.

“Drax has an important part to play in making sure we have a future workforce with the skills to deliver the new technologies needed to decarbonise the economy and meet the UK’s net zero target. We hope this donation will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green recovery from Covid.”

Dumfries and Galloway MP and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has welcomed further support by the Drax Group to school pupils and students, both nationally and in his own constituency.

Mr Jack said:

“I know from my own constituents, particularly those living near the Galloway Hydro Scheme, just how much young learners valued the use of the laptops and free internet access previously provided by Drax.

“The last year has been very challenging for everyone, not least for the generation of young people whose education has been disrupted by Covid-19 lockdowns.

“Now that school children and college students are returning to the classroom, amidst extensive measures to keep them safe, the additional laptops being provided by Drax will again be extremely useful and appreciated.

“One lesson I believe has been highlighted through the current health crisis is the importance of internet access and good broadband connections — an area of technology, particularly in rural areas, I wish to see further improved in the coming years.”

Joanna Campbell, Principal of Dumfries and Galloway College, said:

“This donation of laptops and access to the internet from Drax will make a huge difference to students whose education has been impacted during the last year. These laptops will be essential, in giving access to the internet so students can catch-up on missed learning, whilst supporting their ongoing education.”

Last year Drax donated more than 850 laptops to over 40 partner schools. This takes the total package of support Drax has provided to the communities in which it operates during the Covid crisis to almost three quarters of a million.

ENDS

Photo caption: Galloway College Curriculum Manager Joyce Litster and Hospitality and Tourism Student Neve Jones who received one of the Drax branded Chromebooks.

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761525662

Megan Hopgood
Media Intern
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has provided more than £750,000 in support to its communities and customers since the Covid pandemic started. This includes:

  • £340,000 for 1,200 laptops, with three months of pre-paid internet access, to around 94 partner schools and colleges in communities local to Drax’s operations.
  • Two months of free power worth £236,000 for 170 selected small care homes, local to Drax’s operations across England, Scotland & Wales, supplied by Drax’s B2B supply brands Haven Power and Opus Energy.
  • £150,000 donation to the Money Advise Services’ Business Debtline to help SMEs facing financial hardship. The contribution supported the creation of a dedicated webpage and phoneline.
  • $40,000 community donation to support food banks local to Drax’s operations in the US.

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.

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 20% 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: 

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.

For more information visit www.drax.com