Drax’s Charity Committee has awarded £2,500 to the squadron to go towards upgrading its IT suite which they use for online training, presentations, flight simulation and general admin of the organisation. The equipment will replace the old technology which no longer supports the software they use.
The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is a youth organisation for 12–20-year-olds with an interest in aviation and the Air Force which teaches valuable skills in leadership, teamwork, First Aid and much more while the disciplinary aspect encourages self-improvement and high personal standards. In addition to aviation, the RAFAC also teaches cadets about related topics such as space, radio, cyber and engineering disciplines.
Jane Breach, Drax UK Community & Education Manager, said: “Drax has a long history of supporting the communities local to its operations and promoting STEM education. It’s so important that the next generation have the tools needed to become the skilled workforce of the future. We’re pleased to be able to support the valuable work that the Cadets do and hope that this donation will have a positive impact on the squadron in developing their IT skills.”
Flight Lieutenant Andrew Archer RAFAC said: “We are always striving to give our cadets the best experience possible and help them develop skills they can take with them into their future careers. This donation from Drax to upgrade the old equipment we are currently using in our IT suite will really help our young people with their technology skills. We currently have 35 cadets in the squadron and donations like these are so important for topping up the funding we receive and allowing us to keep offering life enhancing experiences for our young people.”
2008 (Bawtry) Squadron, Royal Air Force Air Cadets in front of Drax’s 114m tall cooling towers
The group recently visited Drax Power Station near Selby for a full tour to learn how renewable electricity is generated from sustainable biomass and to see Drax’s Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project.
BECCS is a vital negative emissions technology which Drax plans to use to permanently remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, whilst also generating the reliable, renewable electricity the country needs.
They saw the 427-metre turbine hall that houses the huge turbines which power the generators to produce electricity, as well as the wood pellet storage domes – each large enough to fit The Royal Albert Hall inside, and the 115m high cooling towers, which are taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Drax is committed to supporting the communities local to its operations through various initiatives including fundraising for local charities and supporting education and skills.
ENDS
Photo caption: 1. 2008 (Bawtry) Squadron, Royal Air Force Air Cadets, Jane Breach, Drax UK Community & Education Manager and Flight Lieutenant Andrew Archer RAFAC
Media contacts:
Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07936 350 175
Notes to editors:
- Drax’s Charity Committee has a dedicated fund for supporting good causes local to its operations, which include Drax Power Station near Selby and its hydro power plants in Scotland.
- It accepts funding requests that will have a positive impact on the local community by supporting the company’s STEM (Science Engineering Technology and Maths) education outreach work and improving skills and employability.
- Charities and community organisations local to Drax’s operations which support STEM and education outreach, skills and employability, or which work to improve local communities, can apply for small grants from Drax.
- To request an application form, email [email protected] or fill out an enquiry form on the Drax website.
- Schools interested in organising a tour, should contact [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 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 https://energy.drax.com/
