In partnership with DB Cargo, GB Railfreight, Freightliner Heavy Haul, and the Branch Line Society, the rail event saw three unique passenger train services operate on the Drax Power Station loop on Saturday 17th August, a route which is ordinarily restricted to freight trains for the transportation of biomass.
Passengers were given the opportunity to ride onboard the special service, with each train using a different route around the power station and all profits from the event donated to Martin House Children’s Hospice.
Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax said: “We are proud to partner with all of the main freight operators and the Branch Line Society for this historic charter rail event, to mark the Golden Anniversary of Drax Power Station.
“The weekend’s tours raised much needed funds for Martin House Children’s Hospice, a charity that is close to our hearts at Drax. Every year Martin House cares for more than 440 children and their families, as well as around 150 bereaved families, and events such as this allow them to continue their vital work in local communities.”
Michelle Ford, Regional Fundraising Team Manager at Martin House Children’s Hospice said: “We are absolutely delighted to have once again worked with Drax on this historic event, alongside the Charter Train Team. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing, invaluable support, which helps us to make a difference to the lives of so many children, young people and their families, when they need us most. A huge thank you to everyone who has made this brilliant event possible, it means so much to all of us.”
Rail has played an important role in operations at DPS since the power station came online in 1974. Locomotives that have moved materials to the station throughout its 50-year history were also on display during the event. The event included naming ceremonies that took place at York Station and Hensall, where two of the current class 66 locomotives which supply Drax Power Station were named ‘Yorkshire Rose’ and ‘Drax Power Station 50’.
Drax Power Station contributes £358m per year to the economy of Yorkshire and the Humber, employing more than 700 people and supporting over 4,200 jobs in the area.
ENDS
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Editor notes
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
