Drax Group has today joined the Race to Zero, committing the company to science-based targets to help fight the climate crisis.
Led by the United Nations, Drax joins more than 2000 companies worldwide, that have signed up to the campaign, which brings together businesses, cities, regions, states, and universities with a joint commitment to science-based net zero targets to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.
Drax has already made ambitious climate commitments and was the first company in the world to announce a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, at COP 25 in Madrid in 2019.
Having converted its power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. Now it plans to go further by using a vital negative emissions technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), to capture and permanently remove millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, creating a negative carbon footprint for the company.
Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:
“The climate crisis is the greatest challenge the world faces, and tackling it requires action that transcends borders, bringing together businesses and governments with a shared goal.
“At Drax, we’re investing in the innovative green technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which will be vital if the UK is to meet its ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, announced by the Prime Minister last week. By joining Race to Zero we are committing to further reducing our emissions and tackling the climate emergency.”
Andrew Griffith MP, Net Zero Champion, said:
“I’m delighted Drax has signed on to be part of the Race to Zero coalition. Businesses have a central role to play in making a successful transition to a low carbon economy and shifting to a net-zero emissions economy requires coordinated action across all sectors. I hope other businesses across the sector follow in Drax’s footsteps and join the Race to Zero.”
ENDS
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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.
Its 3,400 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.
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.
Pellet production and supply:
Drax owns and has interests in 17 pellet mills in the US South and Western Canada which have the capacity to manufacture 4.9 million tonnes of compressed wood pellets (biomass) a year. 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 mills supply around 20% of the biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.
Customers:
Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.
For more information visit www.drax.com/ukcop
