Archives: Press Release

Drax Power Station shines a white rose across Yorkshire

1 August 2023

News

The White Rose of York will appear on one of Drax Power Station’s 350ft tall cooling towers on Tuesday August 1 as the renewable energy leader joins with other businesses and community groups across the county to mark the annual event.

Drax Power Station is the UK’s single-largest renewable power generator, producing enough renewable electricity for around four million UK homes. Recently published research by Oxford Economics found the power station contributed £358m to the economy of Yorkshire and the Humber, with 2,580 jobs supported by the plant.

Drax now aims to deepen its commitment to the county in the years ahead through delivering the world’s biggest carbon capture in power project using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. The development of BECCS at the Selby plant could see up to 10,000 jobs supported at the project’s peak and will make a major contribution to the fight against climate change.

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Power Station Plant Director said: “We’re proud to have been generating power for Yorkshire’s homes and businesses for almost half a century, so we wanted to do something special to celebrate Yorkshire Day.

“We all know this county has a rich industrial heritage, but at Drax we believe Yorkshire has a bright future too. That’s why we are progressing plans to build the world’s biggest carbon capture in power project at our plant near Selby, enabling the county to become a global leader in the vital green energy technology BECCS.

“By delivering this critical carbon removal technology, Drax will strengthen UK energy security, whilst creating thousands of jobs and exciting global export opportunities.”

Once operational, Drax’s two BECCS units combined will capture around 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year, making it the largest carbon capture and storage project in power in the world.

The White Rose will be projected onto the 350ft tall cooling tower at Drax Power Station from 9:00pm on Tuesday 1st August.

ENDS

Photo caption: The White Rose projection on Drax’s 350ft tall cooling tower will be visible for miles around.

Notes to editors:

Electricity has been generated at Drax since 1974 when it was developed by the Central Electricity Generating Board, in an area of Yorkshire known as Megawatt Valley due to a fleet of coal-fired power stations built there in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Drax was the biggest and one of the most advanced and efficient coal-fired power stations ever built in the UK. Nearly five decades on, the power station is the largest dispatchable renewable power station in the UK through its pioneering decarbonisation project to use biomass instead of coal. In March this year, almost 50 years of coal generation ended at Drax Power Station in a landmark moment for the plant, Yorkshire and the whole of the UK.

Giving back to Yorkshire and the Humber

The Drax Foundation was established in 2023 to provide grant funding for non-profit organisations and social enterprises that deliver lasting socio-economic impact in the heart of our communities. The Foundation has recently awarded almost £90,000 to:

  • NYBEP (North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership) who work with schools and businesses to develop STEM programmes
  • Don Catchment Rivers Trust which offers Community-led conservation and nature-based STEM education for children
  • Toranj Tuition, a Hull-based organisation established to stimulate social mobility and to facilitate equal opportunities for adults and children through our educational programmes.

The Foundation has also installed energy-efficient LED lighting to four local schools as part of a pilot of a wider £1.5 million energy efficiency initiative. These schools are:

  • Barwic Parade Community Primary School in Selby
  • Kirk Sandall Junior School in Doncaster
  • Selby Abbey Primary School
  • Triangle Primary School in Sowerby Bridge

Media contacts:

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

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 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 17 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

Drax responds to Track 2 CCUS Viking announcement

31 July 2023

News

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“We welcome the Government’s decision to designate Viking as a Track 2 carbon capture utilisation and storage cluster (CCUS). Progressing a CO2 transport and storage network in the Humber represents a significant step toward helping the region meet its Net Zero ambitions and ensuring that it remains a source of high-skilled jobs and energy security for decades to come.

“The announcement shows the importance of CCUS to the Humber and, along with the East Coast Cluster, creates an additional pathway to support our plans for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at Drax Power Station. We are currently engaged in productive discussions with the UK Government on this project and hope to invest billions in its development and deploy this critical, carbon removals technology by 2030.”

Drax given green light for new £500 million underground pumped storage hydro plant

25 July 2023

News
  • Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf called on the UK Government to “provide an appropriate market mechanism” for projects such as Cruachan’s expansion while on a tour of the facility today (Tuesday). 
  • The Scottish Government has formally approved plans to expand the iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan Power Station through building a new underground plant at the site. 
  • The new plant would strengthen UK energy security with flexible generation while enabling more wind power to come online. 
  • With the right support from the UK Government, the new plant could be operational as soon as 2030, with almost 1,000 jobs created and supported during development. 

Renewable energy leader Drax Group has secured development consent from the Scottish Government for its ground-breaking plans to build a new c.£500m underground pumped storage hydro plant at its existing Cruachan facility in Argyll. The decision, made through the Section 36 process, is a significant moment in Scotland’s journey to net zero, with new long-duration storage plants critical to enabling more wind and solar power to come online in the next decade. 

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf visited Drax’s iconic power station on the shores of Loch Awe today (Tuesday), where he underlined his call for the UK Government “to provide an appropriate market mechanism for hydro power and other long duration energy storage technologies.” Mr Yousaf recently wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to take action so developers can have the certainty required to build a new generation of pumped storage hydro plants. 

The new 600 MW plant at Cruachan is part of a wider £7 billion strategic investment plan by Drax in clean energy technologies between 2024 and 2030, such as long duration storage and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), which tackle climate change and enhance national energy security. Constructed adjacent to the existing underground facility, the plant would effectively more than double the site’s total generation capacity to over 1 GW. 

Growing the UK’s pumped storage hydro capacity is crucial to integrating more wind and solar power onto the energy grid, enhancing the nation’s energy security while tackling climate change. 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. 

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said: “This is a major milestone in Drax’s plans to build Britain’s first new pumped storage hydro plant in a generation.

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

“With the right support from the UK Government, Drax will invest c.£500m to more than double Cruachan’s generating capacity and support almost 1,000 jobs across the supply chain during construction.”

The expansion of Cruachan requires an updated financial stabilisation mechanism from the UK Government. The current absence of a framework for large-scale, long-duration storage technologies has resulted in no new plants being constructed in the UK since 1984, despite their critical role in the decarbonisation process. 

First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, said: “I’m delighted to visit Cruachan today to hear more about the plans to grow Scotland’s pumped storage hydro capacity through the expansion of the existing facility in Argyll. 

“Hydro power has real potential to play a greater role in our transition to net zero, and to help ensure a resilient and secure electricity supply across the UK. The expansion of Cruachan will help to strengthen our energy security by providing much needed resilience in the system, supporting hundreds of jobs and providing a real boost to the Scottish economy.

 “However, we know that there remain a number of challenges in developing new hydro power projects in Scotland. The Scottish Government will continue to urge the UK government to provide an appropriate market mechanism for hydro power and other long duration energy storage technologies, to ensure that the potential for hydro power is fully realised.”

Drax acquired Cruachan alongside the Galloway and Lanark hydro schemes in 2019, helping to make the company a leading provider of flexible, renewable power generation.

ENDS 

Media contacts: 

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

Editor’s Notes:  

  • Drax applied for development consent from the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 in May 2022. 
  • The UK Government has pledged to introduce a new policy and market support framework to enable private investment in large-scale, long-duration storage projects by 2024. 
  • A report by KPMG for Drax found that a Cap & Floor regime was the standout solution to unlock private investment in the technology while incentivising system needs to be met efficiently. 
  • No investment decision has yet been taken by Drax and development remains subject to an appropriate regulatory framework among other considerations. 

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 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 

Drax Power Station contributes over £350m to the economy of Yorkshire and the Humber

18 July 2023

News

New research by leading consultancy, Oxford Economics, The Economic Impact of Drax Power Station in the UK, demonstrates the key role the power station plays in the economies of Selby and Ainsty, Yorkshire and the Humber and the UK.

The report, utilising data from 2021, shows that the North Yorkshire site, including its supply chain, contributed £735m to UK GDP. It also supported 7,130 jobs across the country and delivered a total contribution of £154m in taxes to the UK.

The research also found that in the constituency of Selby and Ainsty, 901 people were directly employed by the power station, a further 290 jobs were supported and it contributed £278m to local GDP.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, the combined impact of Drax Power Station was £358m with 2,580 jobs supported.

The power station is the largest dispatchable renewable power station in the UK and across its four biomass units it can supply enough power for the equivalent of five million homes. In March this year, almost 50 years of coal generation ended at Drax Power Station.

Between October 2021 and 2022, Drax Group generated 11% of the UK’s renewable electricity. In addition, the business produced on average 19% of the UK’s renewables at times of peak demand and up to 70% on certain days.

Richard Gwilliam, Chair of the Humber Energy Board and UK BECCS Programme Director at Drax Group, said:

“This research underscores the critical role that Drax Power Station plays regionally and nationally. In Yorkshire and the Humber, our power station has created thousands of jobs and contributed hundreds of millions of pounds to its GDP while helping maintain energy security.

“We have been generating power at our North Yorkshire site for nearly 50 years and, providing we get the right support from the UK Government for our bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plans, we could be doing the same for another 50.”

James Bedford, Senior Economist, Oxford Economics, said:

“Our research demonstrates the significant contribution that Drax Power Station makes to the UK economy and Yorkshire and the Humber.

“In 2021, it supported a £358 million contribution to GDP in the region and over 2,500 jobs. Much of this was within the constituency of Selby and Ainsty, where it supported a £278 million contribution to GDP, equivalent to 12% of the local economy.”

BECCS is the only technology that can deliver reliable, secure and renewable power while permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Providing Drax gets the right support from the UK Government, the company plans to build two BECCS units at Drax Power Station by 2030 which could remove 8Mt of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.

The development of BECCS at the Selby power station could see up to 10,000 jobs created and supported at the project’s peak, help maintain energy security and help meet the UK’s legally binding Net Zero targets.

Read the full report here: https://www.drax.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Drax_UK_Power_Station_.pdf

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Media contacts:

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

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 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 18 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

Drax Foundation pledges £1.5m to help UK schools save energy and reduce their carbon footprint

17 July 2023

News

The firm, which owns Drax Power Station near Selby, established the Drax Foundation earlier this year to provide grant funding to non-profit organisations in the regions where it operates.  

The installation of energy-efficient LED lighting initiative is currently being piloted at the following five schools local to Drax’s operations in England:  

  • Barwic Parade Community Primary School in Selby 
  • Kirk Sandall Junior School in Doncaster  
  • Selby Abbey Primary School 
  • Triangle Primary School in Sowerby Bridge 
  • Great Clacton Junior School in Clacton-on-Sea 

It is estimated that these schools will save on average £8,600 per year from reduced energy bills, which can then be reinvested back into the school and children’s education.  

The full rollout of the LED lighting and solar panel schemes and energy saving and education programme is planned for later this year, with a focus on rural communities and areas of low social mobility, particularly in and around the communities where Drax operates. Schools wishing to submit an expression of interest should contact [email protected]  

Will Gardiner, CEO Drax Group, said: “The Drax Foundation is committed to giving back to the communities where we operate, and the new initiative will provide schools with practical, tangible ways to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. It’s important that children start thinking about these issues from a young age as energy usage and its impact is set to become an increasingly relevant topic in their future.” 

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.” 

The Drax Foundation was launched in March this year to award  grants of up to £50,000 for established non-profit organizations. 

Organisations and initiatives that meet Drax’s funding and selection criteria are encouraged to visit www.drax.com/community to learn more about the Foundation and submit an initial expression of interest. 

ENDS 

Pic caption 1: Pupils at Kirk Sandall Junior School with Drax Head of Community Shona King, Executive Headteacher Kathy Thompson and Head of School Ash Eastwood  

Pic caption 2: Pupils at Barwic Parade Community Primary School, Headteacher XX and Drax UK Community & Education Manager Jane Breach 

Media contacts: 

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

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 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 energy.drax.com 

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

Drax responds to the UK emissions trading scheme (ETS) reforms July 2023

3 July 2023

News

Ross McKenzie, Drax’s Interim Group Director of Corporate Affairs, said:

“This announcement positions the UK as the potential home of one of the largest compliance markets for carbon removals in the world and we are delighted that the Government intends to include engineered Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs) in the UK ETS.

“The development of such a market is an important step towards deploying large-scale carbon removal technologies such as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). These technologies are essential in the fight against climate change as they permanently remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit.

“With the right support from the UK Government, Drax plans to invest billions into delivering BECCS at our power station in North Yorkshire. This would enable the plant to simultaneously remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere whilst also strengthening UK energy security through generating reliable, renewable power when the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun is not shining.”

Drax responds to Jonathon Porritt’s ‘BECCS Done Well’ report

News

The report, ‘BECCS Done Well: conditions for success for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage’, presents thirty conditions for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) which, if met, will enable BECCS to be ‘done well’, delivering positive outcomes for climate, nature, and people.

Drax Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Alan Knight, said,

“If the world is to meet the global climate challenge, carbon removal technologies like BECCS need to be up and running at scale, as quickly as possible. However, what is arguably more important than the quantity of BECCS required is the quality of the BECCS delivered. To realise the transformational benefits BECCS could bring, we need to ensure it is implemented well – adhering to strict criteria and carefully monitored.”

“In our response to the ‘BECCS Done Well’ report, we have addressed the criteria presented by Jonathon Porritt and the High-Level Panel on how to implement BECCS in a way that delivers positive outcomes for climate, nature and people.”

The ‘BECCS Done Well’ report was prepared at the request of Drax Group CEO, Will Gardiner, who invited Jonathon Porritt, environmental campaigner, to convene a High-Level Panel to conduct an independent inquiry into BECCS. The panel, chaired by Jonathon Porritt, convened Brad Gentry of the Yale School of Environment, Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh and Clare O’Neill acting as an independent consultant, with Forum for the Future serving as secretariat.

Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future said,

“As members of the High-Level Panel, we’re impressed at the level of detail in the responses from Drax to the 30 Conditions we put forward in our Report in November last year. And we’re pleased that the vast majority of these responses are positive.”

“As is now beginning to be recognised, the whole area of ‘Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage’ is becoming more and more material in the debate about Carbon Dioxide Removals and Negative Emissions Technologies. We believe Drax has positioned itself in the vanguard of this debate, ensuring both policy-makers and potential competitors understand fully what ‘done well’ really means.”

BECCS exists in a complex ecosystem of land use, biodiversity, social factors, economics, carbon reduction and now, carbon removal.  Each of these factors must be considered, and trade-offs carefully managed if BECCS is to play a meaningful role in achieving our climate change targets.

Drax aims to become a leader in global BECCS with the aim of removing 14 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030. The technology has a critical role to play in helping nations reach their decarbonisation goals, while also supplying jobs and boosting economies – but this potential is not yet being met.

Drax Group CEO, Will Gardiner, said,

“This work by Jonathon Porritt and an independent panel of experts shows that BECCS can be done well and is a prime example of the progress we can make when we engage in constructive conversations on potentially vital climate solutions.”

“Our commitment to this work underscores our ambition to be a world-leading, sustainability-driven company, at the forefront of the fight against climate change and it will inform our strict sustainability, socioeconomic and environmental standards for future global BECCS projects.”

Drax is currently accelerating progress on the development of global BECCS projects. We are in formal discussions with the UK Government to secure the right support from them to deliver BECCS at Drax Power Station, and have selected two sites in the US, with nine more under evaluation.

Our full response to “BECCS done well: conditions for success for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is available here.

Government backs carbon capture pilot at Drax’s CCUS incubation site

29 June 2023

News

The new carbon capture project, Project MONET, will test metal-organic frameworks (MOF) based Negative Emissions Technology. The project was awarded support from DESNZ through Call 2 of the Department’s CCUS Innovation 2.0 competition, which aims to accelerate the development of next generation CCUS technology.

Drax has a strong relationship with Promethean and in 2022 collaborated with the company at the North Yorkshire incubation site to test MOF-based carbon capture.

Drax’s incubation site has also previously hosted a carbon capture project by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Leeds-based company C-Capture. Drax plans to use MHI’s carbon capture technology for its bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) power plants, including its proposals to develop two BECCS units at Drax Power Station.

Jason Shipstone, Chief Innovation Officer, Drax Group, said:

“Congratulations to all at Promethean Particles and Project MONET on securing this award from DESNZ. We have a strong relationship with Promethean and we are pleased to continue to support their work at our CCUS incubation site at Drax Power Station.

“Scientific consensus is increasingly clear – the planet cannot solve the climate crisis without carbon removals. Providing we secure the right support from the UK Government, our ambition is to harness what we have learned piloting carbon removals technologies in North Yorkshire and create two BECCS units at Drax Power Station which could remove 8Mt of CO2 per annum from our atmosphere.

“We are excited by the opportunities for MOF-based carbon capture and this new project will help us better understand the performance and future applications for the technology. MOFs have the potential to be deployed to help decarbonise Drax’s supply chain and contribute to our mission of enabling a zero carbon, lower cost, energy future.”

James Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer of Promethean, said:

“We are extremely proud that project MONET has been chosen by DESNZ as one of the winners of this competition. Carbon removal is now a necessity in limiting the devastating effects of climate change. MOF-based carbon capture can help enable broader adoption of this critical technology.

“Our manufacturing technology uniquely enables the production of these exciting materials at the scale and cost necessary to make them a viable industrial solution. I would like to thank the Drax team for their continued support of our technological advancement. The incubation area is a huge help in the application development of MOF-based CCS systems.”

ENDS                                                 

Media contacts:

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

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 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 18 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

About Promethean:

Promethean Particles is a UK-based, global pioneer, leading the industrial-scale manufacture of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and specialty nanomaterials. The Company is primarily focused on developing the use of MOFs in the fight against climate change, particularly for carbon capture and storage (“CCS”) applications. When compared to existing technologies, MOF-based carbon capture has the potential to deliver significant advantages; increased energy-efficiency, lower process complexity, smaller operating footprint, and an improved EHS profile. Other applications for the Company’s materials include water harvesting, gas separation and storage, green hydrogen catalysis, and high-efficiency thermal fluid additives.

Promethean has developed a range of patented continuous-flow reactors, which dramatically improve throughput and cost whilst increasing process reliability and consistency. The company operates a 1,000 tonnes per year reactor at its site in Nottingham, UK – the world’s largest continuous multi-nanomaterial manufacturing plant.

Promethean is collaborating with several different organisations to test MOFs in real-world environments and measure carbon capture effectiveness. Results from completed studies have been exciting, demonstrating that MOFs can significantly increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of CCS and leading to further projects. Larger-scale MOF-based CCS demonstration units are now planned on the path to full-scale implementation.

Drax welcomes CCC’s call for faster progress in delivering UK carbon removals and confirms decommissioning of coal units will continue

28 June 2023

News
  • Drax welcomes Climate Change Committee report which argues for greater pace from the UK Government on delivering Net Zero targets and more progress on delivering carbon removals technology.
  • The company has also confirmed that the decommissioning of its coal units at Drax Power Station (DPS) will continue and they will not be available this winter.

Drax Group (Drax), the renewable energy business, today welcomes the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) report, Progress in Reducing UK Emissions – 2023, and its recommendation that if Government wants to deliver on its climate targets it must deliver specific policy which supports the development of carbon removals projects in this country.

In 2022, Drax provided around 11% of the UK’s renewable energy and it plays a vital role in maintaining the country’s energy security.

Drax’s ambition is to invest billions in carbon removal projects in the UK and the US through game-changing technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

Drax Group CEO, Will Gardiner, said:

“The CCC’s report is welcome as it is a holistic view of the scale of the challenge facing us all in reaching Net Zero, as well as acknowledging the vital role that carbon removals technologies like BECCS will play in getting us there. We support its recommendation that faster progress is needed to reach the UK’s ambitious carbon removals targets.

“With the right support from the UK Government, we plan to invest billions into delivering BECCS at our power station in Yorkshire. Our formal discussions with the UK Government on BECCS deployment and parallel discussions about a ‘bridging mechanism’ to support the transition to BECCS have been productive and we are looking forward to continuing these in the coming months.

“We also await the publication of the UK Government’s biomass strategy, which we hope will reinforce the critical role that BECCS will play in energy security and decarbonisation, as well as timelines for the deployment of initial BECCS projects in the UK.”

The company has also confirmed today that the decommissioning of its two remaining coal units at Drax Power Station will continue and that they will not be available to generate power this winter.

This confirmation follows a recent request by National Grid ESO to explore the possibility of extending coal generation at Drax Power Station but concluded that due to a combination of technical, maintenance and staffing reasons, the extension of coal over this winter was not possible.

The company first announced in April this year that after almost 50 years of coal power generation at Drax Power Station, its coal units would close.

ENDS                                                 

Media contacts:

Chris Mostyn
Head of Media Relations
E: [email protected]
T: 07548 838 896

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

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 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 18 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