Archives: Press Release

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner responds to the Government’s Interim Biomass Strategy

4 November 2021

Press releases
Biomass wood pellet storage dome, Drax Power Station

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner, said:

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

“Urgent action has to be taken to address the climate crisis and we are pleased the UK government is demonstrating climate leadership in its ambitions to deliver policies which will attract the private sector investment needed for more green technologies to be deployed, including bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

“With the right business model from the government, Drax is ready to invest £2bn in BECCS and could deliver the world’s largest carbon capture project here in the UK, permanently removing eight million of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year by 2030. With sustainable biomass and BECCS we can kickstart a whole new sector of the economy, creating and supporting tens of thousands of jobs in the North, as well as stimulating an export market and supporting the UK’s net zero target.

“We look forward to working with the government to ensure the most sustainable biomass feedstocks are used in our BECCS project.”

Background:

  • Work to build BECCS at Drax could get underway as soon as 2024, with the first BECCS unit operational in 2027 and a second in 2030.
  • Analysis has shown that the deployment of BECCS at Drax will save the UK £13bn in meeting its climate targets over the coming decade.
  • Drax aims to source 80% of the construction materials and services needed for its BECCS project from British businesses, creating millions of pounds worth of contracts, as well as tens of thousands of jobs.
  • Drax has announced it is working with the NFU to explore the potential to source some of the biomass for its BECCS project from British farmers.
  • The world’s leading climate scientists at the UN IPCC say BECCS is required in order for the world to address the climate crisis.
  • Drax has a world-leading sustainable biomass sourcing policy, which ensures its biomass supports healthy, growing forests, biodiversity and the communities living in the regions it sources from.

UK’S largest power station lights up for poppy appeal

Press releases

The projection at the UK’s largest single site renewable power generator should be visible from miles around to commemorate those involved in the two world wars and other conflicts.

Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director at Drax, said:

“Drax has a proud history of supporting the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. By projecting the symbol of remembrance on to one of our cooling towers we are aiming to show armed forces personnel throughout the generations the gratitude we feel for the sacrifices they’ve made.

“Last year, Covid restrictions meant that it was difficult for people to come together safely at remembrance services and for charities to fundraise in the usual way. This year we’re pleased to be able to gather in person to pay our respects and support the Royal British Legion, which provides lifelong support to our armed forces community.”

Army veterans and reservists at Drax Power Station with Plant Director Bruce Heppenstall. L-R: Michael Gray, Dominic Box, Plant Director Bruce Heppenstall, Alex Wood, Jenny Stanley and Holly Clough

Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, will use an outdoor projection unit, to project the image onto one of the power station’s 114m tall cooling towers between 6pm and 10pm from Armistice Day, Thursday November 11 to Remembrance Sunday, November 14.

This is the second year that Drax has marked the occasion with a projection. Last year, Remembrance Day took place during a period of lockdown when people were encouraged to stay at home, however this year, members of the public are welcome to view the projection safely from the Drax Sports and Social Club car park opposite the power station where they will also have the opportunity to donate to the Poppy Appeal via QR code.

Alex Wood, Warehouse Manager at Drax is an ex-Army Staff Sergeant, who organises the annual Poppy Appeal at the power station. He said:

“I’m proud to work for an organisation that supports the Royal British Legion. There are at least 20 ex-armed forces personnel working at Drax, as well as several Army Reserves. The help the Legion provides for veterans like me is fantastic, with many of us relying on this support to help transition to civilian lives.”

As well as the projection, Drax is also donating £2,000 to the Poppy Appeal and will be laying wreaths at war memorials local to its operations across the UK.

Drax is committed to supporting the communities local to its operations. It has invested more than £840,000 to support its customers and local communities since the start of the Covid-19 crisis.

ENDS

Main image caption: The poppy which will be projected onto a cooling tower at Drax Power Station to commemorate those involved in the two world wars and other conflicts.

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
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.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

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 30% 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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers 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 donates £70,000 more to support laptops for learners

28 October 2021

Press releases

The donation builds on the Drax Laptops for Learners initiative which supplied 50 laptops with free internet access to the school last year to ensure students having to learn from home during the Covid-19 pandemic did not fall behind in their studies.

Since March 2020, Selby High School has loaned out over 500 laptops to families to support students with home learning and after seeing the positive impact this has had, the school intends to allow their students to keep the devices and to issue additional laptops to support the educational needs of even more pupils. Drax has offered a five-year financial support package to cover the cost and maintenance of 50 new laptops a year, adding up to a total value of over £70,000 across the five years.

Drax’s Group Director of Sustainability Alan Knight said,

“We work closely with schools in our communities to ensure that young people from all backgrounds have equal access to education. Drax has an important part to play in making sure the next generation has the knowledge and skills needed to support businesses like ours as we continue to develop and grow.

“Our partnership with Selby High School builds on the work we did during lockdown to provide laptops with free internet access to ensure no students were left behind in their studies as well as virtual tours of the power station and online work experience so that students didn’t miss out on the opportunities Drax would usually offer.”

Selby High School Principal Nick Hinchcliffe said,

“The generous donation from Drax has really allowed us to move a step closer to our goal of ensuring that every student at Selby High School has access to technology at home. This will have a huge benefit for some of our most vulnerable learners, and particularly allow us to make sure that any gaps in learning caused by the pandemic are quickly closed.”

Drax is committed to supporting the communities local to its operations. It has invested more than £840,000 to support its customers and local communities during the Covid-19 crisis including donating over 1,200 laptops to schools and colleges across the country.

Top image caption: L-R Alex Dungey, Drax Community Engagement Team Leader Jane Breach, Elisha See, Gloria Davison, Selby High School Director of ICT Jon Smith and Principal Nick Hinchcliffe.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
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.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

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 30% 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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers 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 launches major planning consultation at its North Yorkshire power station

21 October 2021

Press releases
  • Announcement comes after the Government’s Net Zero Strategy outlined the vital role that BECCS could play in delivering the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions.
  • This week Government also selected the Drax-backed ‘East Coast Cluster’ as a priority Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) project.
  • Fly-through video of BECCS facility at Drax Power Station released to support public consultation.

Drax is advancing its plans to deliver vital negative emissions technology by beginning a major planning consultation that will seek the views of the public on its proposals to develop Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) at the Drax Power Station Site in North Yorkshire.

The announcement follows the publication of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy which outlined how vital engineered Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) technologies, such as BECCS, could be in delivering on the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions. The Strategy also stated that BECCS could achieve ambitious contributions towards the UK’s 2030 climate change target, supported by significant deployment of mature BECCS technology from the late 2020s.

In addition, the announcement follows news that the East Coast Cluster, a collaboration between Zero Carbon Humber, Net Zero Teesside, and the Northern Endurance Partnership, which plans to create the UK’s first net zero industrial cluster, has received government backing. Drax is an anchor project in the East Coast Cluster and the commencement of its planning consultation marks the first major action from a project in the Cluster.

Both the Humber and Teesside account for almost half of the UK’s industrial CO2 emissions and decarbonising these regions will have the biggest impact on the UK’s ability to reach its legally binding net zero target.

Drax’s BECCS technology will permanently remove 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, accelerate economic growth for the Yorkshire and Humber region and put the region at the heart of a global green economy. The proposed scheme will also create and support over 10,000 jobs in the Humber and across the UK.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Negative emissions technologies like BECCS will play a vital role in tackling the climate crisis and the start of this consultation marks a significant milestone in our plans to deliver this innovative technology at our power station in Yorkshire.

“The Government’s recently stated ambition for BECCS and backing for the East Coast Cluster further demonstrates the vital role Drax can play in helping the UK reach its ambitious net zero targets, as well as creating and protecting thousands of jobs in this country.”

BECCS at Drax is a “Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project” (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008 and the company is therefore required to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) prior to the installing and operation of the technology.

Through the consultation process communities are invited to share their views on Drax’s proposals. The consultation will run between 1 November and 12 December 2021 and once complete, the findings will be used to finalise Drax’s planning application prior to its submission in 2022. This timeline keeps the company on-track to begin construction of BECCS in 2024, and operation as soon as 2027.

ENDS

Media contact:

Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761 525 662

Notes to Editors

BECCS at Drax planning consultation

  • The Consultation will run between 1 November and 12 December 2021
  • Information will be available online at BECCS-Drax.com
  • A series of virtual and in-person events will also be held during the consultation period where the public will be able to ask questions and find out more information before sharing their views.
  • The BECCS fly-through video available here.

Background

  • The Humber and Teesside industrial clusters make up 50% of the UK’s industrial emissions, so decarbonising these regions will have the biggest impact on the UK reaching net zero.
  • Drax would act as an anchor project for Zero Carbon Humber, protecting and creating tens of thousands of jobs, kickstarting a new green industry for the region.
  • The East Coast Cluster is made up of both Zero Carbon Humber and Net Zero Teesside, supported by the Northern Endurance Partnership – a collaboration between bp, Eni, Equinor, National Grid, Shell and Total, with bp leading as operator.
  • Drax is ready to invest more than £2bn in two BECCS units at Drax Power Station, with the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
  • BECCS at Drax can permanently remove at least eight million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, whilst supporting the creation of a new global industry in the UK, delivering tens of thousands of jobs in a new green economy. This builds on what we have already achieved with sustainable biomass, in transforming a coal fired power station to become Europe’s biggest decarbonisation project.
  • As a part of its Net Zero Strategy, published on 19 October, the Government confirmed its ambition to see significant deployment of mature BECCS technologies by 2030.
  • Alongside this Strategy, the Government also set out its intention to explore viable commercial frameworks that could support first of a kind power-BECCS.
  • Drax Power Station produces 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity, keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
  • Drax has reduced its emissions by more than 90% in the last decade and Drax is now one of Europe’s lowest carbon energy generators.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

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 30% 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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers 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

Pupils meet ‘minibeasts’ at Drax nature reserve during first school visit since Covid started

20 October 2021

Press releases

Drax reaffirmed its commitment to STEM education when the Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve opened its doors for the first time in more than 18 months to pupils from Camblesforth Community Primary Academy.

The Key Stage One students were the first group through the doors since the pandemic started, with children learning all about wildlife in a ‘minibeasts’ themed activity day at the nature reserve which is located near Drax Power Station – the UK’s biggest renewable power generator.

Camblesforth Community Primary Academy children taking part in the pond dipping activity

The students took part in pond dipping, created a bug hotel and hunted for insects and other ‘minibeasts’ in the woods before finishing off the day by toasting marshmallows on a fire.

For some of these year one and two primary pupils, it was the first school outing they have had the opportunity to go on due to long periods of learning from home during the pandemic.

Gywneth Beaumont, Teacher at Camblesforth Community Primary Academy said:

“Our pupils had a great time at the Skylark centre. The sessions were well planned and resourced, and the children had a lot of fun while also learning so much in just one day. They especially loved having marshmallows round the fire at the end. The staff were amazing and looked after not only the children but the adults as well. We will definitely be returning.”

Drax Group Head of Sustainable Business Alan Knight added:

“We’re so pleased to be able to welcome young people to our Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve for educational visits again.

“We work closely with schools in our communities to inspire children to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects. Getting out of the classroom to explore nature is an important part of that. We hope that experiences like these will spark an interest in learning about the natural world around us.”

The Skylark Centre has recently upgraded its learning resources to ensure that the activities on offer support the national curriculum with a particular focus on science and geography.

The centre has achieved national recognition for its educational visits and has been awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge, endorsed by the Department for Education.

Dr Anne Hunt, Chief Executive of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom said:

“Educational visits are among the most memorable experiences in a child’s school life.  The LOtC Quality Badge offers teachers a guarantee that the venue is providing high quality educational experiences and have the appropriate risk management structures in place, meaning less paperwork for schools and peace of mind for teachers. I congratulate the Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve on being awarded the LOtC Quality Badge.”

Skye Richard, age 5, from Camblesforth Community Primary Academy

Schools planning a visit to the nature reserve can choose from educational activities centred around plants or insects or a combination of the two, with all the learning materials able to be adapted to suit any primary school age group. The group can then choose an ‘outdoor adventure activity’ to add onto the end of their visit such as den building, orienteering and team building games.

The Visitor Centre Team are continuing to follow government guidance and take all the necessary precautions against Covid-19 to ensure that the Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve is a safe environment for those who visit.

Drax is committed to supporting STEM education and while in-person visits to the power station had to stop throughout the covid-19 pandemic the company has continued to offer educational resources including virtual tours and work experience. Drax hopes to resume school visits to site early next year.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07936 350 175

Editor’s Notes

The Nature Reserve owned by Drax is open to members of the public and offers a wide variety of educational experiences for schoolchildren to learn about nature and ecology as part of the national curriculum. The Skylark Centre, located on site, is equipped with classroom facilities to give students a full hands-on experience of the local environment. Find out more about visiting the Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve here.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

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 30% 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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers 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 Group CEO Will Gardiner responds to the Government’s Net Zero Strategy

19 October 2021

Press releases
Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire

Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group, said:

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

“The Government’s Net Zero Strategy, published today, is a key step forward as the UK looks towards a zero-carbon future. It’s also a clear endorsement of the vital role that Drax will continue to play in helping the UK reach its net zero targets.

“It highlights the significant contributions that both our negative emissions technology, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and the expansion of our pumped storage hydro capacity, could play in generating renewable energy in the UK, for the UK, whilst also addressing the climate crisis.

“It is important that the Government now advances its plans to develop business models for greenhouse gas removal technologies so as to enable companies like Drax to invest in these and ensure their deployment in the 2020s.”

Background

BECCS at Drax:

  • Government proposals envisage that by 2030 significant deployment of mature BECCS technologies will be required, with retrofit applications in the power and industrial sectors.
  • BECCS applications in the power sector could be deployed by the late 2020s, and potentially achieve ambitious contributions to our NDC target by 2030.”
  • Strategy stresses the need for Engineered GGRs to deploy over the next decade with an estimated 23Mt of CO2 needed to be removed by 2035 and between 75 and 81Mt by 2050.
  • New government ambition to deliver at least 5MtCO2/year of engineered Greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) by 2030.
  • Drax is ready to invest more than £2bn in two BECCS units at Drax Power Station, with the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
  • Once up and running BECCS at Drax will permanently remove at least 8Mt of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, whilst supporting the creation of a new global industry in the UK, delivering tens of thousands of jobs in a new green economy. This builds on what we have already achieved with sustainable biomass, in transforming a coal fired power station to become Europe’s biggest decarbonisation project.
  • The UK has decarbonised its energy system faster than any other country’s as a result of the support the government made available to renewables like offshore wind, solar and biomass. With the right policies, the same could be achieved for negative emissions technologies – demonstrating the same, global climate leadership the UK has a track record of delivering.
  • Drax Power Station produces 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity, keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
  • We have reduced our emissions by more than 90% in the last decade and Drax is now one of Europe’s lowest carbon energy generators.

Cruachan expansion:

  • The strategy outlines flexibility and storage technologies as one of the three key pillars to support the decarbonisation of the power system alongside renewables and nuclear.
  • Like Drax’s existing Cruachan facility in Argyll, the new station will be able to provide lifeline stability services to the power system alongside acting like a giant water battery. By using reversible turbines to pump water from Loch Awe to the upper reservoir on the mountainside, the station can store power from wind farms when supply outstrips demand.
  • The stored water would then be released back through the turbines to generate power quickly and reliably when demand increases. This will help to cut energy costs by reducing the need for wind farms to be paid to turn off when they are generating excess power. The new station would have the capacity to generate enough power for around a million homes.
  • The new 600MW power station will be located inside Ben Cruachan – Argyll’s highest mountain – and increase the site’s total capacity to 1.04GW.
  • The new power station would be built within a new, hollowed-out cavern which would be large enough to fit Big Ben on its side, to the east of Drax’s existing 440MW pumped storage hydro station.
  • More than a million tonnes of rock would be excavated to create the cavern and other parts of the power station. The existing upper reservoir, which can hold 2.4 billion gallons of water, has the capacity to serve both power stations.
  • If planning consent is given for the new power station, the extra capacity could be available in 2030.
  • Alongside planning consent, the project will also require an updated policy and market support mechanism from the UK Government.
  • The lack of an existing framework for large-scale, long-duration storage and flexibility technologies means that private investment cannot currently be secured in new pumped storage hydro projects, with no new plants built anywhere in the UK since 1984 despite their critical role in decarbonisation. The government recently issued a call for evidence to explore the need to provide further market intervention to support LLES technologies.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner responds to “Track-1” cluster announcement

Press releases
Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner in the control room at Drax Power Station

Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group, said:

“Today’s Government announcement is welcome news, and a crucial next step on the UK’s decarbonisation journey. Drax’s bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project will play a vital role in the East Coast Cluster, enabling the UK’s most carbon intensive regions decarbonise helping the UK to reach net zero.

“BECCS at Drax will protect and create tens of thousands of jobs, whilst showcasing the UK’s global leadership in a vital negative emissions technology. The first BECCS unit at Drax could be operational in 2027, delivering the world’s largest carbon capture project, permanently removing millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, playing a vital role in the fight against the climate crisis.”

Click to view/download

Background

  • The Humber and Teesside industrial clusters make up 50% of the UK’s industrial emissions, so decarbonising these regions will have the biggest impact on the UK reaching net zero.
  • Drax would act as an anchor project for Zero Carbon Humber, protecting and creating tens of thousands of jobs, kickstarting a new green industry for the region.
  • The East Coast Cluster is made up of both Zero Carbon Humber and Net Zero Teesside, supported by the Northern Endurance Partnership – a collaboration between bp, Eni, Equinor, National Grid, Shell and Total, with bp leading as operator.
  • Drax is ready to invest more than £2bn in two BECCS units at Drax Power Station, with the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.
  • BECCS at Drax can permanently remove at least eight million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, whilst supporting the creation of a new global industry in the UK, delivering tens of thousands of jobs in a new green economy. This builds on what we have already achieved with sustainable biomass, in transforming a coal fired power station to become Europe’s biggest decarbonisation project.
  • The UK has decarbonised its energy system faster than any other country’s as a result of the support the government made available to renewables like offshore wind, solar and biomass. With the right policies, the same could be achieved for negative emissions technologies – demonstrating the same, global climate leadership the UK has a track record of delivering.
  • Drax Power Station produces 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity, keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
  • We have reduced our emissions by more than 90% in the last decade and Drax is now one of Europe’s lowest carbon energy generators.

Drax launches new platform to accelerate electric vehicle uptake

11 October 2021

Press releases
  • A new EV management portal from pioneering renewable energy company Drax aims to simplify fleet management and help more businesses switch to EVs.
  • Drax’s My Electric Vehicles combines real-time information on EVs, charge points and businesses’ energy consumption into a first-of-its-kind intuitive tool.
  • New EV platform aims to support UK businesses to reach net zero and builds on other Drax services which help them take control of their energy use through the electrification of their fleets and the optimisation of their operations.

The market-leading tool provides businesses with the vital real-time data to effectively manage their electric vehicle fleet. It combines data on their electric vehicle fleet, charge points and energy consumption in one user-friendly platform.

My Electric Vehicles shows how vehicles are performing, flags issues and offers solutions on how to resolve them, reducing vehicle downtime and improving productivity. Through an interactive map, businesses can see their full EV fleet, and charge points across the country in real-time.

Road transport accounts for over a quarter of the UK’s emissions, and business sales make up around two thirds of new electric vehicle registrations in the country, so decarbonising this sector will make a significant impact on the UK’s journey towards net zero.

Adam Hall, Director of Energy Services at Drax, said:

“Decarbonising road transport will play a vital role in enabling the UK to reach its legally binding 2050 net zero target . By bringing together vehicles, charge points and energy usage into one convenient place, My Electric Vehicles enables departments from across businesses to work hand in hand with each other, making fleet electrification – and cutting carbon emissions – easier for everyone.”

Since August 2021, Drax has been working with SES Water, providers of clean water to parts of Kent, Surrey, and South London, to trial My Electric Vehicles across their EV fleet.

Henrietta Stock, Energy and Carbon Manager at SES Water, said:

“We started our electric vehicle journey with Drax in 2019, and by bringing their expertise to the partnership, they’ve really accelerated our progress.

“My Electric Vehicles has enabled us to access live data on vehicle movements and charging station usage all in one place, facilitating our day-to-day fleet management and helping us plan for the future through better understanding of vehicle and charging point utilisation. As we work to deliver our net zero carbon routemap by 2030, this digital tool will be vital.”

To launch My Electric Vehicles, Drax is hosting the ‘EV Fleet Academy’ -, a series of webinars for businesses. The event series will kick off today (11th October) with discussions on a LinkedIn group, followed by a live-streamed panel event hosted by motoring journalist Quentin Willson on 12th October.

During the two-week EV Fleet Academy, businesses will have access to four informative webinars and other content, covering a range of topics on fleet electrification.

To register for the event, go to the website: https://campaigns.drax.com/fleet-academy

ENDS

Media contacts:

Beth Howard or Jamie Wilson

[email protected] 

Notes to editors

Launch of My Electric Vehicles forms part of Drax’s electrification services:

Drax Electric Vehicles: Drax Electric Vehicles takes the hard work out of switching to EVs. It offers businesses an end-to-end electric vehicle service, from building the business case, to installing and managing charging stations.

Drax Electric Assets: Drax Electric Assets enables businesses to streamline their operations by optimising their assets, reducing energy consumption, and improving efficiencies.

For more information visit www.energy.drax.com

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Customers: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

For more information visit www.energy.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.

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 30% 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.