Archives: Press Release

New research outlines Drax’s contribution to the Scottish economy

23 September 2022

News
  • Oxford Economics analysis shows that in 2021 Drax Group contributed £133 million towards the Scottish economy and supported 1,250 jobs.
  • The Group’s ambitious plans for growth will see it invest a further £3bn into the UK by 2030, creating tens of thousands of jobs from as soon as 2024.

Independent analysis by Oxford Economics has shown that last year renewable energy leader Drax contributed £133 million towards the Scottish economy and supported 1,250 jobs across the country.

The analysis measured the economic impact of Drax Group’s UK operations in 2021, which includes the iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan Power Station, near Oban in Argyll – an underground pumped hydro storage plant which acts like a giant water battery to balance the country’s power grid.

The figures come as Drax continues to progress its plans to deliver a green jobs boom in the UK in the years ahead by becoming a world leader in negative emissions technology BECCS and investing billions of pounds in renewable energy projects.

Drax plans to invest £2.5bn in its green energy projects in the UK this decade, supporting security of supply and the UK’s net zero ambitions. The plans include building the first new pumped storage hydro power station in the UK in more than 40 years at its existing Cruachan site.

Thousands of jobs could start being created by these projects in just a couple of years’ time, with work on Cruachan 2 potentially starting as soon as 2024. Around 900 jobs would be supported during six years of construction across the supply chain in a range of industries from quarrying and engineering, to transport and hospitality.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Scottish assets director, said:

“Not only is Drax playing a critical role in keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses across the country, but we are also proud to be supporting more than a thousand jobs in Scotland and contributing millions of pounds to the economy at a time when it is under severe pressure.  

“With the right support from government, Drax stands ready to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in developing Cruachan 2 so we can do even more for our communities and the climate. Not only will extending Cruachan enable more wind power to come online, but it will also support hundreds of jobs during construction and bolster UK energy security.”

Stephen Foreman, Associate Director at Oxford Economics, said:

“Our research demonstrates the significant contribution that a large and successful British company like Drax Group can make to the global economy.

“Drax Group’s operations in the U.K., U.S., and Canada generated £3.1 billion in GDP in 2021 and supported over 35,000 jobs across these three markets. We also find that the activity generated by Drax’s power stations, pellet plants, and corporate offices, is also having a positive impact on local communities across the U.K., the U.S. and Canada.”

Jobs supported by Drax’s activities across the UK covered a wide range of sectors including high-skilled manufacturing of industrial components, engineering and technical machinery, IT, professional business services and transporting goods.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Ker
Media Manager
E: aidan.kerr@drax.com
T: +44 (0)7849090368

Ali Lewis
Head of Media & PR
E: Ali.Lewis@Drax.com
T: +44 (0)7712 670 888

Editor’s 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 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

 

Power stations’s blockbusting support for Argyll communities

22 September 2022

News

Cruachan’s iconic dam and underground power station was transported to a galaxy far, far away when it was used as a backdrop for the new TV series Andor.

Following the launch of the series on Disney+, Drax has made a five-figure donation to several charities and good causes across Argyll.

These include helping to fund a new vehicle for Oban Mountain Rescue, creating a rural defibrillator network with community councils and supporting the ongoing maintenance and restoration of St Conans Kirk.

Sarah Cameron, Cruachan Visitor Centre Manager

Sarah Cameron, Drax’s Visitor Centre Manager at Cruachan, said:

“Everyone at Cruachan has been incredibly excited to see the power station take a starring role in such an iconic film franchise.

“From the very beginning of this project, Drax’s aim was to create a lasting legacy from it which would benefit the local community. This series of donations will not just change lives, in many cases it will save them.”

Cruachan Visitor Centre is open Monday to Friday from 9.15am until 4.45pm, more information including how to book tours is available from the website: visitcruachan.co.uk

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Media Manager
E: aidan.kerr@drax.com
T: 07849 090 368

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: megan.hopgood@drax.com
T: 07936 350 175 

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’s cooling tower tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

16 September 2022

News

Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director at Drax Power Station, said:

“It has been an incredibly moving week in which so many people across the world have shown their love and respect for the Queen. As we mourn her passing, our deepest condolences go to His Majesty King Charles III and all of the Royal Family.”

The image will be projected onto the 114m tall cooling tower at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire over the weekend of the Queen’s funeral and will be seen from miles around.

Earlier this year, Drax turned two of its cooling towers blue and red to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Drax is being projected from 8pm – 12am on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th September and will be visible from the west of the power station.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: megan.hopgood@drax.com
T: 07936 350 175

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

His Majesty King Charles III

10 September 2022

News

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO said:

“On behalf of Drax Group, I welcome the announcement of His Majesty King Charles III as Head of State. The King has done an exemplary job as Prince of Wales, forging relationships across nations and showing great commitment to environmental and climate causes.

“His Majesty launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) in 2020 and invited me to join the Carbon Capture, Use and Storage taskforce, enabling industry executives to work on meaningful and actionable plans to help accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable future. This is a critical cause that will continue to affect us all.

“His longstanding service to the British public, and across the Commonwealth, follows his mother’s outstanding example.

“My condolences remain with the Royal Family as they, and we too, mourn the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

8 September 2022

News

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO said:

“On behalf of Drax Group, I send my deepest condolences to the Royal Family at this incredibly difficult time. The Queen’s dedication to public service, both in the UK and across the Commonwealth, ensured that she was loved and respected by the global community and through the good times and the bad she provided the inspirational leadership that we all need from a Head of State.

“Some of the people living in the community near our Cruachan Power Station in Argyll, Scotland, will no doubt fondly recall when the Queen visited in 1965 to formally open the site. As the world enters a period of mourning, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered with great admiration and affection.”

Drax progresses plans to upgrade existing Cruachan Power Station

News

The project, which is separate from the company’s proposals to build a brand-new underground power station at the site, could see two of the existing generating units upgraded, increasing their generating capacity by a total of 40MW, so they could power around 80,000 more homes – equivalent to a town the size of Paisley.

The work would increase the output of two of the station’s existing units from 100MW to 120MW each by utilising new design capability in pumped storage turbines whilst maximising water cycle efficiency.

Local people will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposals during an exhibition at Taynuilt Village Hall on Wednesday 14th September, 2pm – 6.30pm, when members of the project team will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the plans.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Scottish Assets Director, said:

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Scottish Assets Director, standing in-front of a generating unit at Cruachan.

“For more than half a century Cruachan has played a pivotal role in balancing the grid and keeping the lights on across the UK. By investing in this 40MW upgrade alongside the creation of a new 600MW power station at the site, Drax’s Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station would continue to play a vital role in bolstering the country’s energy security for many years to come.

“We are keen to hear from as many people as possible during the consultation event in Taynuilt, so we encourage local people to come along.”

Cruachan is an underground pumped hydro storage power station built inside a hollowed-out cavern 1km inside Ben Cruachan – Argyll’s highest mountain. Its reversible turbines enable the plant to act like a giant water battery by pumping water from Loch Awe to an upper reservoir on the mountainside to store excess power from the grid.

The stored water is then released back through the turbines to generate power quickly and reliably when demand increases. This process helps stop wind farms being paid to turn off when they are generating excess power, helping the country to decarbonise whilst cutting household energy bills.

In order to carry out the 40MW upgrade on the two existing generating units at Cruachan, Drax must secure consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 from the Scottish Government. This process is expected to take around one year to complete from the application’s submission.

If planning permission is granted, work to upgrade the existing two turbines could commence in 2026. The 40MW upgrade to the existing plant involves replacing existing turbines and generators and will not require excavation or blasting works.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Media Manager
E: aidan.kerr@drax.com
T: 07849090368

Ali Lewis
Head of Media & PR
E: Ali.Lewis@Drax.com
T: 07712 670 888

Editor’s Notes

  • Long-duration electricity storage (LDES) can be defined as technologies that are able to respond to supply and demand variations caused by daily peaks, weather events and seasonal patterns, providing power for more than four hours at their full capacity.
  • A recent report by Aurora showed that the UK may need an eight-fold increase in long-duration electricity storage capacity by 2035.
  • Separately, a report by LCP published earlier this year showed the practice of curtailing wind power – which LDES  technologies alleviate the need for – added £806m to energy bills in Britain in 2021.
  • No final investment decision has yet been taken on the Cruachan 1 upgrade and this is also the case with Cruachan 2, with that development also remaining subject to the right regulatory framework with the UK Government.

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

‘Renewable energy apprentices’ kickstart careers at Drax

25 August 2022

News

The apprentice engineers have won places on the technical apprenticeship scheme at Drax Power Station near Selby in North Yorkshire – the UK’s largest single site renewable power generator, which produces enough renewable electricity for four million homes.

The four-year programme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain expertise working alongside the world-class engineers at Britain’s biggest power station which has become one of Europe’s largest decarbonisation projects following its conversion from coal to using sustainable wood pellets.

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Plant Director said:

“Meeting our new apprentices is one of the highlights of my job. Providing these young people with the tools needed to become the skilled workforce of the future is not only essential to the success of our business, it’s also an incredibly rewarding part of what we do.

“Giving our apprentices the opportunity to work on the cutting-edge, environmental technologies of the future will ensure we’re nurturing our in-house talent and creating opportunities for people here in the North to lead the green energy revolution needed to get the UK to net zero, supporting a post-covid economic recovery.”

Centime Breach-Frank

Centime Breach-Frank, aged 19 from Goole, who has joined Drax as an electrical apprentice, said:

“I applied for an apprenticeship at Drax because it offers incredible opportunities and the chance to gain experience for my future career. I’m most looking forward to meeting and working alongside highly skilled engineers, many of whom started out their careers as apprentices in the same way I have.”

Ryan Stocks

Mechanical apprentice Ryan Stocks, aged 19 from Barlby, near Selby said:

“I applied for an apprenticeship at Drax because of all the opportunities it offers and the innovations they’re currently working on such as the BECCS project. I think the future for Drax is exciting and I’m proud to be joining the team. I’m looking forward to working with experienced engineers to broaden my skills and knowledge of the industry.”

The apprentices beginning their careers at Drax Power Station this year are:

  • Centime Breach-Frank,19, from Goole
  • Ethan Dealtry, 18, from Goole
  • Ethan Stringer, 19, from Thorne, Doncaster
  • Jack Woods, 19, from Thorpe Willoughby
  • Joshua Whiteley, 17, from Osgodby, near Selby
  • Matthew Taylor, 17, from Knottingley, near Ferrybridge
  • Ryan Stocks, 19, from Barlby, near Selby

They will be trained within the maintenance department of the power station, with three of them in mechanical roles and four working alongside the electrical and instrumentation team.

L-R: Ethan Dealtry, Jack Woods, Ryan Stocks, Josh Whiteley, Drax Plant Director Bruce Heppenstall, Matthew Taylor, Ethan Stringer and Centime Breach-Frank

Drax offers apprenticeships in business support areas as well as engineering disciplines. A further six apprentices will start work in September in the HR, IT and facilities departments.

Drax aims to become carbon negative by 2030 by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and recently submitted plans to build two BECCS units, creating and supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the North.

Work to build BECCS at Drax could start as soon as 2024 and once operational the two units combined will capture at least 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year, making a significant contribution to the UK’s efforts to address the climate crisis, whilst generating the renewable electricity the country needs.

ENDS

Photo caption: Top row: Ethan Stringer, Ethan Dealtry, Centime Breach-Frank, Josh Whiteley. Bottom Row: Ryan Stocks, Jack Woods and Matthew Taylor

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: megan.hopgood@drax.com 
T: 07936 350 175

Notes to editors:

The apprentices will start work on-site at Drax once they have completed formal training at the Humberside Engineering Training Association.

Drax is hiring a total of 20 apprentices this year across its sites in the UK, including four in Scotland. All opportunities are advertised on the Drax website.

Drax has been running an apprenticeship scheme at its North Yorkshire power station for almost two decades and also runs several internships and graduate schemes as part of its dedication to improving skills and increasing opportunities for young people across the region.

The energy company is also committed to helping its existing employees to boost their skills to ensure they are ready to work on new green technologies liked BECCS. Around 50 employees across the group are studying for apprenticeship qualifications.

Drax runs a variety of initiatives to support STEM education and skills including offering power station tours, interactive workshops and work experience opportunities.

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 boosts education and skills with work experience placements

18 August 2022

News

This is the first time Drax has run its in-person work experience programme since March 2020 when the company had to stop all in person educational activity, including visits and work experience, due to Covid restrictions.

The programme gives students the opportunity to work alongside highly trained staff, observe practical tasks and ask questions to improve understanding and help them decide if a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) career is right for them. Students who took part could choose from a variety of business areas including engineering, IT, finance, and facilities.

Abigail Cheney, who is in Year 10 at school, spent a week at Drax Power Station shadowing engineers and getting an insight into what working for the energy company is like.

She said:

“I’m really glad I took part in the Drax work experience programme. The work I did during the week was really interesting and gave me an insight into what a career in engineering could be like. The atmosphere in the department was really nice, everyone was so friendly and made me feel included. Overall, it was an amazing opportunity which expanded my knowledge and gave me a better idea of the sector I want to work in in the future.”

Danny Adams, who is in Year 12 at school, also spent a week at Drax working with colleagues in the finance department.

He said:

“My work experience week at Drax was amazing. It was a great opportunity for me to explore the area of work I’m interested in which is finance. I worked with some fantastic people who made me feel comfortable and like part of the team. I especially enjoyed the site tour. The week has been great for helping me get to know new people and socialise whilst gaining new skills on the job. I would definitely look into applying for a role at Drax in the future.”

Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director, said:

“We work closely with schools in our communities to inspire young people from all backgrounds to study STEM subjects, so the next generation has the education and skills needed to support businesses like ours as we continue to develop and grow.

“We’re pleased to be able to offer in-person work placements at our sites again and hope that this will give students a valuable insight into the world of work and spark an interest in STEM subjects.”

Drax welcomed 26 work experience students across its sites in the UK, including Cruachan Power Station in Scotland. At the end of the week, each student was presented with a certificate of achievement and a £100 Amazon voucher to spend on books and educational resources.

Prior to attending the five day in-person work experience, all students completed a two-day virtual work experience, which introduced them to career opportunities at Drax and gave them the opportunity to improve their employability skills, through activities such as CV coaching and interview practice.

More information about work experience at Drax is available on the website.

Drax runs a variety of initiatives to support STEM education and skills including offering power station tours and running interactive workshops for students.

ENDS

Photo caption: Work experience students Abigail Cheney, Victoria Adkin, Ethan Jarrett, Laura Hull and Danny Adams in front of the biomass domes at Drax Power Station

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: megan.hopgood@drax.com
T: 07936 350 175

Notes to editors:

Drax first introduced virtual work experience in June 2020 when it was unable to run its usual on-site work experience programmes due to Covid restrictions and decided to continue the programme after receiving a positive response from those who took part.

Students who took part in Drax’s virtual work experience programme aged 14-18 could choose from a variety of different business areas and sites to do the in-person week of their placement. The programme provides an opportunity to learn about the renewable energy company, focusing on developing employability skills and learning about their business area through practical experience and conversations with employees.

Offering work experience virtually also enables more students to participate from across England and Scotland, who may previously have found it difficult to take part, due to barriers preventing their attendance, such as geography, opportunity, and economic factors.

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 boosts education and skills with work experience placements

News

This is the first time Drax has run its in-person work experience programme since March 2020 when the company had to stop all in-person educational activity, including visits and work experience due to Covid restrictions.

The programme gives students the opportunity to work alongside highly trained staff, observe practical tasks and ask questions to improve understanding and help them decide if a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) career is right for them. Students who took part could choose from a variety of business areas including engineering, IT, finance, and facilities.

Harry Bradbrook, who is in Year 10 at school, spent a week at Drax’s office in Ipswich shadowing analysts in the forecasting and hedging department and getting an insight into what working for an energy company is like.

He said:

“My time at Drax was really fun and informative. I learned so many skills and really enjoyed the work, especially learning to code. My supervisor Alex was very helpful and friendly, so it felt easy to ask him questions. Overall, it was a great week that taught me a lot about the business area.”

Jane Breach, Drax Visitor Centre and Community Engagement Team Leader, said:

“We work closely with schools in our communities to inspire young people from all backgrounds to study STEM subjects, so the next generation has the education and skills needed to support businesses like ours as we continue to develop and grow.

“We’re pleased to be able to offer in-person work placements at our sites again and hope that this will give students a valuable insight into the world of work and spark an interest in STEM subjects.”

Drax welcomed 26 work experience students across its sites in the UK, including Cruachan Power Station in Scotland. At the end of the week, each student was presented with a certificate of achievement and a £100 Amazon voucher to spend on books and educational resources.

Prior to attending the five day in-person work experience, all students completed a two-day virtual work experience, which introduced them to career opportunities at Drax and gave them the opportunity to improve their employability skills, through activities such as CV coaching and interview practice.

More information about work experience at Drax is available on the website.

Drax runs a variety of initiatives to support STEM education and skills including offering power station tours and running interactive workshops for students.

ENDS

Photo caption: Harry Bradbrook with Drax Senior Quantitative Analyst Alex Wright

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: megan.hopgood@drax.com
T: 07936 350 175

Notes to editors:

Drax first introduced virtual work experience in June 2020 when it was unable to run its usual on-site work experience programmes due to Covid restrictions and decided to continue the programme after receiving a positive response from those who took part.

Students who took part in Drax’s virtual work experience programme aged 14-18 could choose from a variety of different business areas and sites to do the in-person week of their placement. The programme provides an opportunity to learn about the renewable energy company, focusing on developing employability skills and learning about their business area through practical experience and conversations with employees.

Offering work experience virtually also enables more students to participate from across England and Scotland, who may previously have found it difficult to take part, due to barriers preventing their attendance, such as geography, opportunity, and economic factors.

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