Archives: Press Release

Commenting on The Bioeconomy in the North of England, a University of York Science and Innovation Audit Report sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Drax Power CEO Andy Koss said:

Drax today gave notice to the Planning Inspectorate of its intention to consult on long-term options to repower up to two coal units to gas, and build battery storage at Drax Power Station.

Plans for gas on site were announced in June and are part of an ongoing research and development project. The options could create up to 3.6GW of new gas generation capacity and 200MW of battery storage. They are subject to a positive investment decision and would need to be underpinned by a 15-year capacity market contract. The upgrade would enhance Drax Power Station’s flexible and responsive capability, and make Yorkshire the home of large scale battery technology. At this early stage in the planning process these figures represent the maximum parameters of the project.

These options would, if developed, increase Drax’s ability to provide the flexible generation and grid support services Britain’s electricity system will need as coal and other large power stations are turned off.

Today’s notice to the Planning Inspectorate is a step in developing these options as part of Drax’s strategy to play a vital role in changing the way energy is generated as the UK moves to a low carbon future.

The options complement Drax’s ongoing work to explore converting a fourth unit to sustainable biomass. Three units have already been successfully upgraded, on-time and on-budget. They account for 70% of the electricity Drax produces – enough to power Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool and 16% of the UK’s total renewable power.

Drax expects to begin consulting on these options with local communities and national stakeholders over the coming weeks.

Andy Koss, CEO of Drax Power, said:

“We are at the start of the planning process but if developed these options for gas and battery storage show how Drax could upgrade our existing infrastructure to provide capacity, stability and essential grid services, as we do with biomass. This would continue to keep costs low for consumers and help to deliver Government’s commitment to remove coal from the UK grid.

“Drax Power Station is a national asset and a significant driver of economic growth in the North of England. These options could repurpose up to two of our coal assets and extend their operation into the 2030s. We have always supported and worked with our local communities and want to ensure they have a role in shaping our thinking. We will undertake a comprehensive programme of local consultation and engagement over the coming months to share our options with the public and listen to their views.”

– Ends –

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Head of News
Drax Group
01757 612165
[email protected]

Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
Drax Group
07712 677177
[email protected] 

Notes to editors

About the ‘Drax Repower’ project

The project encompasses the following elements:

• The repowering of either one or both of Drax units 5 and 6, which are currently coal fired, to gas using two new gas turbines, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and cooling systems. The capacity of each gas unit would be up to 1,800 MW, with a combined maximum possible capacity of 3,600 MW.
• A battery storage facility of up to 200 MW capacity.
• A new gas connection, entering the eastern side of the existing station.
• An electrical connection into the 400 kV substation from the repowered unit(s) would allow for electricity to be distributed into the National Grid.

About the planning regime

The proposed development is a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) under “the construction or extension of a generating station” category in Part 3 Sections 14(1)(a) and 15(2) of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended). As such, Drax is required to seek planning permission known as a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Planning Inspectorate: an executive agency of the government that manages nationally significant infrastructure projects. 

About Drax Group

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Biomass, based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, providing businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, providing electricity and gas to businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com

As more renewables replace coal on the power system – the electricity we use is getting cleaner, making electric cars and SUVs better than ever for lowering our carbon emissions.

The latest Electric Insights report, produced by researchers at Imperial College London, in collaboration with Drax, analysed electricity generation data from April to June this year. It showed that the power produced during this quarter contained 199g of CO₂ per kWh – 10% lower than the previous minimum set last year.

Dr Iain Staffell from Imperial College London explained: “It is widely accepted that electric cars dramatically reduce air pollution in cities, but there is still some debate about how clean they actually are – it varies depending on where the electricity to charge them with comes from.

“According to our analysis, looking at a few of the most popular models – they weren’t as green as you might think up until quite recently, but now, thanks to the rapid decarbonisation of electricity generation in the UK, they are much better.

“For example, producing the electricity to charge a Tesla Model S back in 2012 would have created 124g of carbon per km driven. Nowadays emissions from charging the same car have halved to 74g per km driven in winter and just 41g per km in summer – thanks to the decarbonisation of electricity generation in the UK.

“Smaller electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 can be charged for less than half the CO₂ of the cleanest non-electric car on the market – the Toyota Prius hybrid.”

In the UK there are now more than 100,000 electric vehicles on the roads – pure electric and plug-in hybrid numbers have grown 30-fold in four years, representing 1.8% of new car registrations.

The following table shows the change in carbon intensity of electricity for some of the most popular models of electric vehicle:

For context, a 2L Range Rover Evoque emits 125g/km  and a Toyota Prius emits 70g/km based on data from the government’s Vehicle Certification Agency.

At the same time as electric car numbers are increasing, Britain’s electricity has been decarbonising.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said: “It’s very exciting to see from this analysis by Dr Staffell and the team at Imperial how we at Drax are contributing to helping the UK to decarbonise.

“Our biomass generating units deliver carbon savings of 68% compared to gas power stations and more than 80% compared to when they used coal.

“Biomass is cost effective, reliable and flexible – this is important not just in terms of reducing emissions in the energy sector, but also the far reaching impacts this can have in transforming other sectors like the automotive and rail industries. The need for more flexible renewable power generation is a real example of the challenges Dieter Helm’s review for BEIS must address.”

Since upgrading half of the power station at Drax to sustainable biomass, more than two thirds of the power produced is renewable. In the first half of this year Drax produced 17% of the UK’s renewable electricity – enough for four million households.

Electric Insights is published once a quarter, and is supported by an interactive website – www.ElectricInsights.co.uk – which provides live data from 2009 until the present. The data sources and methodology used in Electric Insights are listed in full on the website.

Commissioned by Drax Group, owner and operator of the UK’s largest power station and Europe’s biggest biomass-fuelled power plant, the report is delivered independently by Dr Iain Staffell from Imperial College London, facilitated by the College’s consultancy company – Imperial Consultants.

The full report can be read here [PDF here].

ENDS 

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis

Drax Group Head of Media Relations

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612165

Jessica Gorton

Drax Group Press Officer

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612848

Editor’s Notes

• The calculation to determine the carbon emissions from electric vehicles relies on a number of variables, including the time of day or night a vehicle is charged, and which power stations increase their output to meet additional demand. Electric Insights has illustrated how these emissions have changed recently by assuming that vehicle charging is spread evenly across the day and uses the average electricity mix during each period.
• The average electricity consumption was averaged across five variants of Tesla Model S which achieve over a 300 mile driving range (75D, 90D, 100D, P90D, P100D). These average 3.22 miles per kWh.  This was converted to 0.194 kWh per km driven.  The data was taken from the Vehicle Certification Agency.
• Direct CO₂ emissions are listed as 0 g/km. Emissions from electricity production were taken from Electric Insights, averaging all half-hourly periods in March 2012.  The carbon intensity of production was 569g/kWh.  We assume 7.5% of electricity is lost in transmission and distribution, and 4% in charging the electric vehicle.  The carbon intensity of electricity consumed was 641g/kWh.  641 x 0.194 = 124.4g/km CO₂.
• Fuel economy listed for a 2016 model year Toyota Prius Active8 with 15” wheels, E-CVT: 94.1 mpg, 70 g/km CO₂. Other model variants have different fuel economy and carbon emissions.
• The disclaimer from the Vehicle Certification Agency applies to the data used.
• The carbon intensity data for the Mitsubishi is for when that SUV is driven in electric-only mode, not when driven in hybrid mode.

This edition of Electric Insights also found:

• Reduced carbon intensity is the new norm for Britain’s power system. It averaged 199g/kWh – 10% lower than the previous minimum set last year. This is down from 740g/kWh in the 1980s and 500g/kWh in the 2000s.
• There are seasonal variations in the carbon intensity of the UK’s electricity generation – more power generation is required to meet higher demand in the darker, colder winter months than the summer, when there is more power available from low carbon, weather-dependent renewables like solar.
• In the second quarter of this year weather-dependent renewables like solar and wind continued to grow, with solar breaking a number of records during the period including supplying 25% of demand on April 8 and producing 8.91GW on May 26. Over the quarter solar produced 4TWh of electricity – 12% above the previous maximum set in 2015.
• There is a move towards a decentralised power system as 10% of June’s electricity did not use the national grid. Small renewables (particularly solar) make up a growing portion of the supply and are embedded into local distribution networks rather than connected to high-voltage transmission system. The rise of solar has given rise to the proportion of generation which is bypassing the grid reaching its highest ever level in June – more than 25% of demand was met by embedded generation for 41 hours over the quarter, primarily on sunny weekend afternoons.
• Having more intermittent renewables on the system is also having an impact on prices. Prices spike when wind and solar output drops and other generators are needed to plug those gaps. The analysis by the team at Imperial College London found that balancing market prices leapt from around £40 per MWh up to as high as £1,500 on May 17 when solar and wind output fell sharply.

About Electric Insights

• Electric Insights Quarterly was commissioned by Drax and is delivered independently by a team of academics from Imperial College London, facilitated by the College’s consultancy company – Imperial Consultants. The report analyses raw data that are made publicly available by National Grid and Elexon, which run the electricity and balancing market respectively. Released four times a year, it will focus on supply and demand, prices, emissions, the performance of the various generation technologies and the network that connects them.
• Along with Dr Iain Staffell, the team from Imperial included Professors Richard Green and Tim Green, experts in energy economics and electrical engineering, and Dr Rob Gross who contributed expertise in energy policy. The work to date has revealed scope for further research in this area, to inform both government and organisations within the energy industry.
• The Q2 2017 report has an additional co-author: Dr Jonathan Scurlock, National Farmers’ Union and The Open University.
• The quarterly reports are backed by an interactive website electricinsights.co.uk which provides live data from 2009 until the present. It was designed by The Economist Group’s independent data design agency, Signal Noise.

About Drax

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Biomass, based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, providing businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, providing electricity and gas to businesses.

Billington Bioenergy, based in Liverpool with depots across the UK, is one of the leading distributors of wood pellets for sustainable heating in the UK.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Dorothy Thompson, Drax Group CEO, said:

“The findings from this independent report are significant.  The research focuses on the US South where we source the majority of the compressed wood pellets we use to produce 16% of the UK’s renewable electricity – enough to power four million homes.

“It demonstrates quite clearly that the forests in this region are growing – not declining. And Forest2Market’s analysis also shows that having a healthy market for forest products incentivises landowners to grow more trees, which in turn increases productivity and the carbon storage in these forests.

“Our operations are therefore contributing not only to reducing emissions, but also in ensuring these forests grow and provide more economic security for local people.”

Read the full report: Historical Perspective on the Relationship between Demand and Forest Productivity in the US South. An At A Glance version plus an Executive Summary are also available as a separate documents.

Almost 100 industry and local government leaders from across the Northern Powerhouse region have been brought together by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) to give their insight into the future of the region’s energy industry.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, a member of the NPP Board – chaired by George Osborne – has been leading a series of workshops with business leaders across the North to help determine the best way the region’s existing energy infrastructure can be re-used and repurposed, as well as the economic opportunities associated with the transition to a low carbon future and how innovation could transform the region’s energy sector.

Drax Power Station based near Selby in North Yorkshire is the UK’s largest – generating 7% of the country’s electricity. Having upgraded half of the power station to be fuelled by sustainable biomass (compressed wood pellets) from coal, it is now the largest single site renewable electricity generator in the country, supplying 17% of the UK’s renewable power – enough for four million homes.

Andy Koss said: “The North has a proud history of being the country’s powerhouse and should continue to play a central role in driving the UK’s energy strategy. These workshops have demonstrated the deep knowledge, skills and expertise the region has in energy and the role technologies such as bioenergy, offshore wind and nuclear power could play in delivering the Government’s Industrial Strategy.”

He added:  “The potential for new technologies such as electric vehicles and hydrogen gas to help reduce the carbon footprint of our cities is, I believe, a huge opportunity for the region – not just in terms of potential jobs and the economic benefits, but also the positive environmental impacts associated with decarbonisation.”

The workshops are part of the work the Northern Powerhouse Partnership is leading on for its second report ‘Prime Capabilities in the North,’ which will include key recommendations on energy, as well as advanced manufacturing, health innovation and digital.

Henri Murison, Director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “The energy workshops have provided the Northern Powerhouse Partnership with real insight into the future of the North’s energy sector. The unrivalled expertise in the region is one of the North’s great strengths and we will be looking in more detail at the opportunities and ideas that have come out of these sessions and how they can have a significant impact on the UK economy”.

The energy workshops Andy Koss has led have taken place in York, Hull, Warrington, Lancaster and Carlisle. The findings from these sessions will be used in the development of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s second report, due to be published in September.

ENDS

Media contacts

Ali Lewis

Drax Group Head of Media Relations

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612165

Jessica Gorton

Drax Group Press Officer

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612848

Editor’s Notes

• Independent research by Oxford Economics using 2015 data showed that biomass upgrades have helped to support 14,150 jobs in the UK, 4,500 of which are in Yorkshire and Humber. In addition, Drax generated almost £500 million for the regional economy and £1.2bn for the whole of the UK.
• Our biomass supply chain runs from coast to coast – Tyne, Hull, Immingham and Liverpool – with an average of 17 biomass trains arriving per day (over a six-day working week) in order to supply us with the pellets needed to generate and supply enough renewable electricity for 4 million homes.
• The Northern Powerhouse is the hub for high tech engineering/innovation in renewables so will remain vital to future energy needs and developing a low carbon economy.

About Drax

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Biomass, based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, providing businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, providing electricity and gas to businesses.

Billington Bioenergy, based in Liverpool with depots across the UK, is one of the leading distributors of wood pellets for sustainable heating in the UK.

For more information visit www.drax.com

Dorothy Thompson, Drax Group CEO, said:

“The UK electricity market has passed a tipping point and we welcome this timely announcement from Greg Clark. The way electricity is generated, supplied and used is changing rapidly and our power system needs to change at the same pace. The Faraday Challenge is a particularly exciting initiative that will unlock a new wave of innovation and, critically, new skills for the evolving power system.

“The Government has made it clear that energy is at the heart of its Industrial Strategy. Battery storage and smarter technologies will be a key part of the energy mix needed to deliver the new electric revolution to the UK’s homes and businesses. Flexible electricity is at the core of our strategy and we look forward to working with the Government as a strategic partner, turning new ideas into action.”

An idea to generate renewable electricity for use in a York school while also establishing zero carbon transport between its two sites has won first place in a regional competition sponsored by Drax Power, with a total prize fund of £10,000.

The Project Reinvent Challenge invited pupils across Yorkshire, aged 11-19 to use their learning and knowledge in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) to develop a workable idea to help improve life in their community.

A team of five Year 7 pupils from All Saints School in York impressed judges with their entry ‘Dynamo’, which plans to create a free cycle hub providing 40 bikes for teachers, pupils and visitors to travel the half mile between the school’s two campuses.

Each bike will be fitted with a ‘bottle’ dynamo which allows energy generated from cycling to be stored. The dynamos are then hooked up to transfer the stored energy to batteries which will be connected into the school’s electricity distribution network.

Drax awarded the winning idea £6,000 to help it get started, with the remaining prize fund being split between the runners up.

All Saints teacher Sarah Bilton said: “This is a fantastic achievement. We’re very proud of our pupils and the hard work, thought and determination they have shown.”

She added: “This challenge really got pupils thinking and was a great opportunity to help their understanding of enterprise and investigate eco-friendly ways to benefit the community.

“Lots of people drive between the sites, or of course have to walk. This will simplify and speed up getting from one side of the school to the other, and in a way that’s better for the environment. It will be useful to the whole school community; I can’t think why someone hadn’t thought of this before!”

Drax Visitor Centre manager and member of the judging panel, Rachael Baldwin said: “All four finalists presented well thought out, creative ideas, but the Dynamo team really impressed us with the technical thinking behind their project as well as coming up with an idea that would benefit their school and local community.”

The team was presented with a trophy by Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO.

He said: “It’s been tremendously rewarding to see young people harness their imagination and STEM learning to find new ways to support their local communities.

“The diverse range of ideas we have seen and presented by the competition finalists shows there is plenty of innovation within schools and colleges across Yorkshire. We hope this will inspire these students to pursue careers using STEM subjects.”

The runners-up were Barlby High School, near Selby with their idea for a ‘Learning Garden’ based around science; Nidderdale High School in Pateley Bridge with designs for ‘3 Peaks’, a new climbing wall; and Scarborough University Technical College with its ‘Life Skills Centre’ to support STEM knowledge in adult learning.

The Project Reinvent Challenge was supported by the North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership (NYBEP), a social enterprise based in York that specialises in engaging employers with education to help young people prepare for the workplace.

Ends

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis

Drax Group Head of Media Relations

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612165

Jessica Gorton

Drax Group Press Officer

E: [email protected]

T: 01757 612848

About Project Reinvent Challenge

 The Project Reinvent Challenge is part of Drax’s community investment plan ‘Project Reinvent’ – a programme of activity supporting schools and local projects. Inspired by the company’s own reinvention from a traditional coal-fired power station into a reliable new source of renewable energy, the programme aims to bring new energy to the people and organisations that can change the local area for good.

A total of 50 schools across Yorkshire entered the challenge. The finalists were selected at Inspirations 2017, an annual event billed as the biggest celebration of STEM education and held at Yorkshire Air Museum in June. Teams then had to present their ideas to a panel of judges at the grand final held in the Visitor Centre at Drax power station.

About Drax Group

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Biomass, based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, providing businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, providing electricity and gas to businesses.

Billington Bioenergy, based in Liverpool with depots across the UK, is one of the leading distributors of wood pellets for sustainable heating in the UK.

For more information visit www.drax.com

About NYBEP 

NYBEP is a not-for-profit social enterprise that has specialised in engaging employers in education for over 20 years. NYBEP is aimed at helping young people to acquire the skills and knowledge that prepare them for the workplace and inspire them to plan for and achieve a successful future.