Drax is enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future
About Drax
Drax Group is a renewable energy company engaged in renewable power generation, the production of sustainable biomass and the sale of renewable electricity to businesses.
Drax operates a generation portfolio of sustainable biomass, hydro-electric and pumped hydro storage assets across four sites in England and Scotland. It is the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity. The company also operates a global bioenergy supply business with manufacturing facilities across the United States and Canada, producing compressed wood pellets for its own use and for customers in Europe and Asia.
The Group employs over 3,200 people in the UK, US, Canada and Japan.
Our strategic aims
An infographic showing the process of BECCS using sustainably managed forests. Click to view/download
To be a global leader in carbon removals
Renewables are a key part of the global fight against climate change but, in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the world needs to go further and remove carbon emissions from those hard to abate sectors of the economy like agriculture and aviation.
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a carbon removal technology. It has the potential to generate around-the-clock renewable power and remove large quantities of carbon from the atmosphere and store it permanently underground.
Currently, BECCS is the only technology capable of generating 24/7 renewable power while simultaneously removing carbon.
To be a global leader in sustainable biomass pellets
Biomass is organic matter like wood, forest residues, or plant material. When sourced sustainably and used to generate renewable, low-carbon electricity, it is a key element in the road to net zero. This is at the heart of our purpose.
The material we use to make our biomass pellets includes residues from sawmills and other forestry activities. This helps to support forest health and local communities, creating positive outcomes for nature and people.
This is helping to accelerate decarbonisation worldwide, by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, and achieving our aim of being a global leader in sustainable biomass pellets.
To be a UK leader in dispatchable, renewable generation
Flexible generation – supporting the system and providing energy security.
The energy transition, and the move away from fossil fuels, will require a significant increase in the amount of renewable electricity we use, including for transport and heating, on top of our current uses. This increase in demand may largely be met by intermittent renewables like wind and solar. However, when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine, the UK needs flexible sources of energy generation such as renewable biomass, pumped storage hydro, and fast response open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), as well as demand-side response.
These all feature within our portfolio of flexible, low-carbon power assets, which can dispatch and turn up or down to support the system, in response to changes in demand. In addition to helping to keep the lights on, our assets support energy security by providing essential generation and system support services to the UK electricity grid, enabling the UK energy system to meet demand regardless of weather conditions.
