Archives: Press Release

Drax and Gloster Chamber team up to beautify Main Street

4 June 2024

News

Renewable energy company Drax partnered with the Gloster Chamber of Commerce to bring a little beauty to the town’s Main Street. On Thursday, May 30, 2024, Drax employees from the Gloster plant and the company’s corporate headquarters in Monroe, LA, joined Chamber members to repaint planters, replace flower decorations, and add new dirt and mulch to those newly painted planters.

“Economic development can take many forms,” says Matt White, Drax Executive Vice President of North America Operations.“For many communities, Main Street is the welcome sign to their towns and cities. Beautification efforts, like the one undertaken by our Drax employees and the Gloster Chamber of Commerce, will help the town put its best foot forward and potentially lure new business and industry to Gloster and the surrounding region.”

Thursday’s project is just another example of Drax’s commitment to Gloster and the surrounding region. The latest commitments from Drax to Gloster residents include:

Dedicated $250,000 Gloster Fund: Will allow Drax to continue making lasting, positive impacts in the community and will be earmarked specifically for Gloster projects and initiatives that are designed to improve quality of life and support grassroots activities as part of our commitment to being a good neighbor.
Community Advisory Panel: To help Drax deepen community engagement and more effectively respond to community needs, we created a community advisory panel in Gloster that is made up of community leaders and citizens to help inform Drax’s future investments in the region. This panel will help identify local priority issues and projects to be supported with the Gloster Community Fund. We’ll be identifying panel member in June 2024.
Career & Job Opportunity Assistance: Drax leadership committed to working with the town to share job openings and opportunities. In addition to posting to the Gloster webpage, the jobs will be posted on the Gloster Town Hall community information board. Drax has also committed to working with Amite County High School and Southwest Mississippi College and Workforce Center to create easier pathways into Drax employment.
Donation of Computers: To help support educational and tutoring efforts organized by local organizations, including the Gloster Chamber of Commerce, Drax will donate computers to the Town of Gloster. The computers will be housed at the Gloster National Guard Armory where residents can use them for educational and research purposes.
Annual Town Hall Meetings: To better communicate and respond directly to community questions and concerns.
Bi-annual Focus Groups: To better understand and address community sentiment.
New Community Manager: To help coordinate town halls and focus groups, Drax will welcome a new Community Manager in the coming weeks. This position will cover community engagement for Drax operations in the southern U.S., including Gloster.
Gloster Updates Webpage: Drax is launching a dedicated Gloster webpage that include frequently asked questions, detailed information about the plant and links to the most recent job openings.

“The Gloster Chamber of Commerce took this activity on to beautify the town,” said Kelvin Cotton, Chamber President. “We had flowerpots on the streets that were fading out, so we took this on to make our Main Street look good. These small changes make a big impact; it makes people want to come back to our town, but it also instills a sense of pride in our town.”

To learn more about Drax’s Community Fund our efforts in Mississippi, visit www.drax.com/ms.

Contact Information:

Michelli Martin
Communications Manager, US
318-372-3988
[email protected]

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.

Drax’s approximately 3,000 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.

Groundbreaking seismic surveys underway for new ‘Hollow Mountain’ power station

3 June 2024

News

Renewable energy leader Drax is progressing plans to build a new 600 MW underground plant adjacent to its existing Cruachan facility. Seismic surveys are being taken to provide crucial geological data about the rock in which the new plant would be housed inside. The process involves drilling holes into the rock and laying small explosive charges which are detonated to produce a powerful sound wave within the rock mass.

It is expected that the sound wave will penetrate up to 60m below the ground surface before its reflected signal fades away. Sensitive equipment called geophones mounted on the ground measure the progress of the sound waves to provide information about fractures, fissures, or potential weak spots in the rock.

Pumped storage hydro plants act like giant water batteries, using reversible turbines to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir which stores excess power from wind farms and other low carbon technologies when supply outstrips demand. These same turbines are then reversed to bring the stored water back through the plant to generate power when it is needed.

Steve Marshall, Development Manager, said: “The expansion of Cruachan will be one of the most significant engineering projects in Scotland for many decades. The start of these seismic surveys of the mountain is a real milestone moment for the project and everyone at Drax is excited to see the development take another step forward, These surveys will further complement borehole drilling works undertaken in 2022 and 2023 at the site.

“With the project granted development consent from the Scottish Government, we hope the next UK Government will continue policy development in this area at pace to enable a new generation of pumped storage plants to come online as soon as possible.

“Expanding Cruachan will strengthen the UK’s energy security by enabling more homegrown renewable electricity to come online to power homes and businesses across the country. This major infrastructure project will support hundreds of jobs and provide a real boost to the Scottish economy.”

Increasing the country’s pumped storage hydro capacity is critical to enabling more renewable power to come online, strengthening the country’s energy security whilst helping the UK to decarbonise.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr, Senior External Affairs Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Drax Foundation helps 148 UK schools save £1.6m in energy costs and reduce their CO2 emissions by 1,700 tonnes

News

In the first year of operation, the programme has supported the energy education charity, Energy Sparks, and the energy efficient lighting and controls specialists, Goodlight, to work with a combined total of 148 schools, including in areas close to Drax’s UK sites, to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions.

With support from the Drax Foundation, Energy Sparks has provided 128 schools with free access to its online energy management tool, education programme and support services. Similarly, Drax Foundation funding has enabled Goodlight to kit out 20 schools with energy-efficient LED lighting and sensors.

Through working with Energy Sparks and Goodlight, the schools have saved a combined estimated total of £1.6m on their annual energy bills and reduced their carbon emissions by an estimated 1,684 tonnes.

The Drax Foundation will continue to finance the activities of both organisations throughout 2024, enabling them to work with and support many more schools. The Foundation is also funding the installation of solar panels for some of these schools. To date, one installation has been completed in Northampton, and it will complete two further installations in the Selby area over the next few months again helping reduce energy bills and carbon emissions.

Drax Foundation’s work with Goodlight and Energy Sparks has been shortlisted for an award in the Community category in the British Renewable Energy Awards 2024.

Shona King, Head of Community at Drax Group, said:

“We are proud that Drax Foundation has supported nearly 150 schools to save money on their energy bills and reduce their impact on the environment. We want to go even further this year, installing solar panels and LED lighting for more schools and helping them to engage their pupils in energy efficiency and actions to mitigate the impact of climate change.

“It’s important to us to help children start thinking about saving energy and reducing their carbon footprint from a young age as these issues are going to be increasingly important for them in the future.”

Case studies:

Kirk Sandall Junior School:

With support from the Drax Foundation, Goodlight worked with Kirk Sandall Junior School, Doncaster to upgrade their lighting system to efficient LEDs. The upgrade has saved the school an estimated:

85 tonnes of carbon emissions
£11,694 on their annual energy bills
38,498 kWh of electricity

Kathy Thompson, Executive Headteacher at Kirk Sandall Junior School, said:

“It’s so important that businesses support their communities and this initiative by the Drax Foundation is a really great way to help us save money, especially at the moment when energy costs and prices in general are so high. It also teaches pupils about the impact we have on our environment and how we can act responsibly to save energy.”

Northampton Academy:

With support from the Drax Foundation, Energy Sparks worked with the Northampton Academy to rollout the use of their analysis tools. The school is one of the largest in the East Midlands with 1,700 students. The tools enabled the school to establish that the heating had been programmed to run when no one was at the site on Sundays, this has now been switched off saving the school around £200 each weekend.

Since starting to work with Energy Sparks the school reduce its gas consumption by 40% and save an estimated:

80 tonnes of carbon emissions
£34,000 on energy bills
450,000 kWh of electricity

David Reed, Facilities Manager at Northampton Academy, said:

“What we have done is nothing extreme. The main driver and trigger was actually the Energy Sparks programme because it inspired us to be more focused on what we were doing. The main thing for me was, don’t assume it’s right without checking, take time to have a look as it is worth doing for everyone.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax

Drax’s c.3,500 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

To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community

UK leads the world in global decarbonisation league – report

22 May 2024

News

The country’s carbon emissions have fallen by 52% since their peak in 1971, a more significant drop than any other comparable nation.

The reduction in emissions contrasts starkly with other major economies whose emissions are still rising and have yet to peak. Countries including China, India, and Indonesia all still have rising emissions while their economies, which are powered by fossil fuels, rapidly grow.

The findings have been released ahead of the next instalment of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report. The publication is an independent report by academics from Imperial College London commissioned by Drax through Imperial Consultants.

The Decarbonisation League Table: Reduction in national carbon emissions from all-time peak, across the thirty largest countries which each emit over 200 MtCO2 per year.

Drax Electric Insights sought to review the UK’s decarbonisation performance following the Government announcement in February that the country was the first in the world to halve its greenhouse gas emissions. In their modelling, 1990 was used as the comparison benchmark as the Kyoto Protocol – the world’s first treaty on climate change – used this year as its benchmark year for carbon emissions reduction targets.

The academics behind the Drax Electric Insights report wanted to construct a “fairer comparison” that accounted for the fact individual countries’ carbon emissions peaked at different times. For example, emissions in the United States have not fallen at all compared to 1990, but this masks the fact they have fallen by 18% in the last 17 years following their peak in 2005.

However, even when accounting for this new benchmark year, the UK continues to lead the world in decarbonisation.

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report series, said: “With governments across the world committed to tackling climate change, it is vital we have a way to track their progress that is both accurate and fair.

“By looking at when emissions from a country peaked, we have a fairer way of assessing how seriously countries are taking their commitments to reduce carbon emissions. This will be especially important when looking at the growing Asian economies such as China, India, and Indonesia.

“No other major economy has cut its carbon emissions faster than the UK, which is a real achievement. A large part of the progress made here has been phasing out coal-fired power stations and investing in renewables. However, even with the last remaining coal plant closing in the UK later this year, we will still need to find new ways to meet our 2050 net zero ambitions.”

European nations fill the top seven spots of the Global Decarbonisation League Table, with France and Germany coming 2nd and 3rd behind the UK. While the UK’s emissions peaked in 1979, most countries analysed in the report had emissions peaking in the 21^st century.

Drax has played a leading role in the UK’s decarbonisation success. Its eponymous power station in North Yorkshire was Western Europe’s largest coal-fired plant, but through converting it to use biomass, it is now the country’s single-largest renewable generator.

The company plans to go even further in the years ahead and install Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology at the plant, with an aim of capturing around 4 million tonnes of CO₂ each year from 2030. BECCS is the only technology which can simultaneously generate renewable electricity while permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Drax’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “Climate change is the greatest challenge the world faces, and while the UK has already done a great deal, we are only halfway towards reaching net zero.

“To reach that goal, we must start permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere. That is why Drax has been pioneering BECCS technology so we can remove those emissions and at the same time generate renewable electricity for millions of homes and businesses.

“We continue to work with the government to ensure BECCS at Drax Power Station can help the UK achieve its net zero targets, create thousands of jobs, and help strengthen the UK’s long-term energy security.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Editor notes

About Drax

Drax’s around 3,000 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

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.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers:

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Cruachan ‘Hollow Mountain’ Visitor Centre wins five star VisitScotland rating

21 May 2024

News

Located on the northern shores of Loch Awe in Argyll, Scotland, Cruachan is an underground pumped storage hydro power station housed within a man-made cavern large enough to fit Big Ben on its side. Built in the 1960s, the iconic power station took six years to construct, with thousands of workers involved in drilling, blasting, and clearing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rock and spoil to make the subterranean world.

To earn its five-star rating, a ‘secret shopper’ style visit took place to assess how the visitor centre was performing. The facility earned top marks for the performance of its employees in areas including hospitality and friendliness, service and efficiency, cleanliness all areas, appearance.

Sarah Cameron, Drax’s Scotland Community Manager, said: “Everyone at Cruachan is delighted to be recognised among the top 1% of visitor attractions in Scotland. The power station is such a special and unique place, and it is wonderful to be able to share it with visitors from across Scotland and around the world.

“Tens of thousands of visitors come here each year to see this engineering marvel which is hidden inside a mountain. However, what’s above ground is also well worth a look. The centre has incredible views of Loch Awe, and you can enjoy them with a cup of tea and homemade scone from our café.”

David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland Regional Director said: “The Cruachan Visitor Centre team is committed to delivering a world class experience for their guests.

“We hope this hard-earned five-star rating will encourage even more people to visit this iconic power station and learn about its fascinating history.”

Visitors can take guided tours inside the subterranean world into the heart of the power station to learn about the history of the site and the critical role it plays today in keeping Britain’s lights on. The visitor centre has a host of interactive exhibits alongside a café, gift shop, and picnic area.

The visitor centre is open from 9.15am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday. Tours must be booked in advance and can be done online at visitcruachan.co.uk/request-a-tour/ or by calling 01866 962630.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr, Senior Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

MOU agreed to develop ‘bioship’ technology and plans to construct the world’s first biomass-fuelled ship

14 May 2024

News

New bioship technology would use gas from biomass to propel ship
MoU between Japanese and British companies contains plans to develop bioship by the end of the decade
Technology could decarbonise shipping of biomass pellets to Japan, potentially reducing carbon emissions by 22%

Leading Japanese companies, NYK Line (NYK), NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers (NBP), TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (“TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING”) and British renewable energy business, Drax Group (Drax), have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop both the world’s first biomass-fuelled ship (bioship) and the technology that could power it.

Rendering of bioship

Biomass is playing a growing role in Japan’s transition from fossil fuel power generation to low carbon and renewable electricity, and the country’s demand for biomass pellets, sourced primarily from North America and composed of sawmill and forestry residues, is increasing.

Drax produces biomass pellets in both the US South and Canada. The company has a longstanding relationship with NBP which transports its pellets to Japan.

These pellets are currently shipped through smaller handysize bulkers, which, due to the limited size of their fuel tanks, have proved challenging to switch to lower emission fuels, such as ammonia.

Through the MoU, which was signed at the British Embassy in Tokyo, the companies will initially conduct research to develop the new shipping technology, an on-board biomass fuel plant, which would be required to power a bioship. The four companies are exploring how other renewable technologies could be used to reduce both the emissions and fuel costs of shipping biomass.

The biomass fuel plant would use a gasifier to combust biomass at high temperatures and create and contain gases including carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane. These gases would then be used to power a generator which could propel the bioship and also provide a proportion of its internal power.

Biomass fuel plant system

The installation of a biomass fuel plant could see a 22% reduction in well-to-wake carbon emissions in bioships when compared to using fossil fuels. If this development is successful, the companies will jointly study the possibility of building a bioship by the end of 2029.

Shinichi Yanagisawa, Executive Officer of NYK Line, said:

“This initiative is part of NYK’s long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the NYK Group’s oceangoing businesses. The NYK Group is committed to providing its expertise in low-carbon and decarbonised maritime transportation as per this MOU and will utilize the knowledge gained in this research and development to promote initiatives related to various energy-saving technologies. Through our strength in high-quality transportation services, we will continue to co-create value for society with our partners DRAX and TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING.”

Paul Sheffield, Drax Group’s Chief Commercial Officer, said:

“Drax aims to be carbon negative by 2030 and decarbonising our supply chain is critical to reaching this goal. This MoU is an important step in the development of the technology required to power and launch the world’s first bioship, which will support Drax’s decarbonisation goals but could also drive the innovation needed to transform shipping and cut carbon emissions and fuel costs in global supply chains.

“I’m looking forward to working with our partners NYK, NBP and TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING, to explore the potential this technology has to support global efforts to address the climate crisis. We are also exploring the role of other renewable technologies in delivering greener shipping.”

Masashi Suda, NBP’s President, said:

“Drax is a leading renewable energy company, and we are honored to be a part of this symbolic project to use its main products as environmentally friendly fuel in transportation of the products themselves. After study of biomass fuel plant and gasifier system, Drax, TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING, NYK and NBP have concluded a memorandum of understanding for the feasibility study on the development of the world’s first wood pellets-powered Super Low-Emission Vessel. This is important step towards decarbonised society for all concerned parties. NBP will continue to contribute to global decarbonisation together with its customers and partners. “

Kenichi Shibata, Managing Executive Officer of TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING, said:

“TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING focuses on reducing the global environmental impact in the design and construction of our vessels and has declared ourselves to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. For realising this aim and recognising ourselves to be a frontrunner of environmentally friendly yard, we are driving to develop and construct new fueled vessels which combining environmental impact reduction and economic efficiency.

“We are very proud to be involved in this project, which aims to achieve the world’s first maritime transport using wood biomass energy, in collaboration with NYK Line, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers and Drax Group.

“This project is an attempt to implement ‘Creating the future, today’ as the TSUNEISHI Group slogan, and TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING will contribute by demonstrating our function as a shipbuilder for the project members.”

ENDS

Featured photo caption: MOU signing ceremony. From left: Kenichi Shibata (Managing Executive Officer/General Manager of Design Division, TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd.); Paul Sheffield (Chief Commercial Officer, Drax Group); Masashi Suda (President, Chief Executive Officer, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers Ltd.); Shinichi Yanagisawa (Executive Officer, NYK Line)

Notes to editors:

Scope of each company

Company	Role
NYK Line	Providing knowledge on decarbonising maritime transport
NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers Ltd.	Providing knowledge as a shipowner/operator on marine transportation of biomass pellets
Drax Group	(Project originator) Producer of biomass pellets
TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd.	Providing technical expertise in ship design and construction and biomass fuel systems

Company overviews

NYK Line
Head office: Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Takaya Soga, President
Website: www.nyk.com/english/
Contact: [email protected]

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) was founded in 1885 and is one of the world’s leading transportation companies. At the end of March 2023, the NYK Group was operating 811 major ocean vessels, as well as fleets of planes and trucks.

On March 10, 2023, the NYK Group released its medium-term management plan “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 – A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing.” The NYK Group is promoting growth strategies with ESG at the core, based on the Group’s mission statement of “Bringing value to life.” and a new corporate vision for 2030, which reads, “we go beyond the scope of a comprehensive global logistics enterprise to co-create value required for the future by advancing our core business and growing new ones.”

NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers Ltd.
Head office: Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Masashi Suda, President & CEO
Website: https://nbpc.co.jp/en/
Contact: https://nbpc.co.jp/contact

As a member of the Nippon Yusen Group (NYK Group), we operate Handysize/Handymax bulkers, Conventional vessels (multipurpose vessels), Heavy-lift vessels, and Self-propelled deck carriers which are relatively smaller size for an ocean-going vessels in NYK Group. About 150 of this kind of vessels fit for all types of needs travel everyday across about 400 ports around the world, transporting an array of cargo to serve various customers in the world.

Drax Group
Head office: London, UK
Representative: Paul Sheffield, CCO
Website: www.drax.com
Contact: Andy Low, (+44)07841 068415, [email protected]

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd.
Head office: Hiroshima, Japan
Representative: Sachio Okumura, President and Chief Executive Officer
Website: www.tsuneishi.co.jp/english/
Contact: Communication Dept. TSUNEISHI HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Email: [email protected]

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING (HQ: 1083 TSUNEISHI, Numakuma-cho, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan) engages in shipbuilding and repairs, and is the anchor company of the TSUNEISHI Group, which conducts business mainly in the shipbuilding industry and maritime transport. With manufacturing bases in Japan (TSUNEISHI Factory, the HQ), Philippines, and China, the company builds bulk carriers, container carriers, tankers, etc.

Drax’s iconic Cruachan ‘Hollow Mountain’ power station set for £80 million upgrade

29 April 2024

News

Drax has appointed global hydropower technology supplier ANDRITZ as the main contractor for the Cruachan upgrade project. ANDRITZ Hydro is one of the world’s leading suppliers of electromechanical equipment and services for hydropower stations and has installed around 470 gigawatts of capacity during its more than 180 years of operations.

The £80 million project will see the generating capacity of two of the plant’s four units increased by a combined 40 MWs to raise the facility’s total generating capacity to 480 MWs. The units were commissioned in 1965 and contain parts, including their turbines, which are now more than 50 years old.

Drax’s Cruachan Power Station is located on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll and is one of just four pumped storage hydro facilities in the UK, playing a critical role in the country’s energy security.

Speaking in Ravensburg, Germany at the signing of the contract with ANDRITZ, Drax’s Interim Chief Operating Officer, Penny Small, said: “Pumped storage hydro is vital to the UK’s energy security, it’s a technology which works in partnership with renewables.

“These plants play a critical role in stabilising the electricity system, helping to balance supply and demand through storing excess power. When wind turbines are generating more power than we need, Cruachan steps in to store the renewable electricity so it doesn’t go to waste.

“By investing in Cruachan today, Drax is ensuring the power station can play an even bigger role in the energy system of tomorrow. We look forward to working with our contracting partners to deliver this exciting project.”

Dominik Fust, Managing Director at ANDRITZ HYDRO Germany, said: “We are proud to have been entrusted with the refurbishment of the Cruachan Pump Storage Power Plant. This project aligns with our mission to contribute to the global transition toward sustainable energy generation.”

The major upgrade to the two units will improve their operability and reliability, lengthening their lifespan. Drax’s investment is underpinned by the award of 15-year capacity market agreement worth around £221 million.

Pumped storage plants act like giant water batteries by using reversible turbines to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir which stores excess power from sources such as wind farms when supply outstrips demand. These same turbines are then reversed to bring the stored water back through the plant to generate power when the country needs it.

The Cruachan upgrade project is separate to Drax’s plan to build a new 600 MW pumped storage power station adjacent to the existing Cruachan facility. A study by the influential trade body Scottish Renewables estimated that the project could create and support up to 1,100 jobs.

ENDS

Photo caption: Left to right – Ian Kinnaird (Drax Group Scottish Assets & Generation Director), Dominik Fust (Managing Director at ANDRITZ HYDRO Germany), Penny Small (Drax Group Interim Chief Operations Officer) and Alexander Bihlmayer (VP Global Sales at ANDRITZ) signing the contract in Germany.

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr, Senior External Affairs Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Editor’s notes

Site works will commence in 2025 with our contractor partner ANDRITZ to install new main inlet valves and then unitised outages in 2026 and 2027 for units 3 and 4 respectively.
The upgrade project received development consent from the Scottish Government in December 2023 and was awarded a capacity market agreement by the UK Government in February 2024.
The upgrade is separate to Drax’s plans to build a new 600 MW power station adjacent to the existing Cruachan facility.
No investment decision in the separate 600 MW expansion of Cruachan has yet been taken by Drax and development remains subject to an appropriate regulatory framework.

Drax announces carbon removals deal with C-Zero

18 April 2024

News

Carbon removals and renewable energy company Drax Group today announced a carbon removals deal with C-Zero Markets (C-Zero), an environmental consultancy. The agreement is indicative of the maturing carbon market’s growing appetite for high-quality carbon removals and represents another concrete step toward Drax delivering bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) in the United States.

C-Zero will purchase carbon dioxide removals (CDR) credits from Drax representing 2,000 metric tons of permanently stored carbon under the terms of the agreement. The deal, which converts a previous MoU into a firm offtake agreement, is connected to Drax’s future deployment of carbon negative BECCS in the U.S.

“Organizations like C-Zero and the clients it supports are looking to permanent, engineered carbon removals that are high-integrity to ensure their climate commitments are achieved,” said Laurie Fitzmaurice, President, Carbon Removals at Drax. “As those deadlines approach, experts predict demand will soar for CDRs that are credible, quantifiable, and auditable – like those provided through BECCS by Drax – making now the smartest time to invest.”

This latest agreement between Drax and C-Zero is a clear indicator that demand for BECCS-derived carbon removals continues to increase. Today’s announcement comes just weeks after a firm offtake deal with Karbon-X, and Drax inked MoUs with Respira and C-Zero prior to that.

Drax also launched an independently operated business unit headquartered in Houston, Texas, at the beginning of the year with the intent of becoming the global leader in large-scale carbon removals. This business unit will oversee the development and construction of Drax’s new-build BECCS plants in the US and internationally, and it will work with a coalition of strategic partners to focus on an ambitious goal of removing at least 6 Mt of CO₂ per year from the atmosphere.

BECCS is a carbon removal technology that uses sustainably sourced biomass to generate renewable energy while permanently sequestering the carbon underground. According to a recent report from Foresight Transitions, BECCS is necessary to help the United States achieve its ambitious decarbonization targets, deliver a zero-carbon power system by 2035, and become net-negative by 2050.

“Drax is one of the leading players in the BECCS space, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them to help solve the other half of the climate equation with carbon removal,” said Mike Ridler, CEO at C-Zero Markets. “It has been great to work with them on process, compliance, and sustainability as this is fundamental to us as a business and to the clients we are supporting.”

The market for engineered carbon removals is maturing rapidly as organizations across the planet seek out solutions that can help them keep their climate commitments on track reliably. Because they are quantifiable and auditable – providing clearer value for the investment – BECCS-derived CDRs have quickly become a fundamental part of this voluntary carbon market.

To learn more about how Drax is helping organizations achieve their sustainability goals through high-quality carbon removals, visit www.draxcarbonremovals.com

Media contact:

Grant Stoker
Communications Manager, BECCS
Drax Group
[email protected]
318.376.3358

About Drax

About C-Zero Markets

C-Zero Markets provides environmental consultation, supporting companies and organizations with renewable energy solutions, emissions reduction and achieving carbon, compliance, and net zero targets. Their goal is to help organizations achieve the highest emission reduction standards possible. To learn more, visit www.c-zeromarkets.com.

Drax Community Fund donates to Ipswich organisations

15 April 2024

News

First round of funding from the Drax Community Fund will see donations given to 33 organisations across the UK.
Organisations that will receive funds include Grace Cook Primary School and Nursery and The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding in Ipswich.

Renewable energy leader, Drax Group has announced the support it will provide to community organisations local to its operations though its new Community Fund, launched in 2023.

Drax’s Community Fund provides donations of up to £2,000 in the first round of funding for a variety of projects which support local communities.

Drax Energy Solutions, a B2B energy supplier is based in Ipswich, which works with businesses to help them use energy more sustainably, supporting their net zero ambitions.

Brendan Clark, Director of Drax Energy Solutions, said: “We take great pride in supporting a variety of organisations in Ipswich, from assisting Grace Cook Primary School and Nursery in developing outdoor spaces to aiding The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding in purchasing and installing a new field shelter for their horses. Our donations aim to foster inclusivity, well-being, and community spirit throughout our local area.”

Ipswich projects that will receive donations include:

Grace Cook Primary School and Nursery: The organisation is seeking funding to develop our outdoor spaces in the next academic year, in order to support teaching and physical/mental wellbeing.
The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding: Funding to purchase and install a new field shelter for the horses at the centre that looks to provide the opportunity to ride, or simply have sensory contact with horses, for people of all ages living with a disability.

Anne MacWillson, Coach at The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding, said:

“The Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding is thrilled to receive a donation from the Drax Community Fund. Through our services, we provide therapy and sensory contact for all ages and disabilities, and we’ve seen that riding really does make a difference to people’s lives.

“This funding will go towards a new saddle for one of our newly arrived ponies, so that we can continue to support underserved groups through our therapeutic riding.”

To find out more about the Drax Community Fund and how to apply for funding, go to the website.

Notes to editors:

Drax Foundation, launched last March and awards larger grants of up to £50,000 for established, non-project organisations.

Drax recently announced the Community Foundation has given £2.7m in charitable giving for regional programmes and grassroots projects globally, of which £1.3m went to UK projects.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Andy Low, Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068415

About Drax

Drax Group’s (Drax) 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.