Archives: Press Release

Two thirds of business leaders say they are more environmentally focussed following COVID-19 outbreak

13 July 2020

Press releases

  • Two thirds of business leaders (68%) claim the pandemic has made them more environmentally conscious

  • Three quarters (75%) feel they need to run their businesses differently with a renewed focus on flexibility

  • Over half (59%) say that the pandemic has increased the importance of sustainability, but the need to stabilise their business is holding them back

Our planet - Drax infographic

Our planet – Drax infographic [click to download]

Two thirds of Britain’s business leaders say they are now more environmentally conscious in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research released today.

The survey, jointly commissioned by B2B energy suppliers Opus Energy and Haven Power, part of Drax Group, found bosses are having to make bolder decisions as they prepare for a brave new business world. 66 percent admit that their own leadership requires a greater degree of bravery in decision making since the pandemic.

The news comes as the UK begins to move out of lockdown, and businesses begin to identify processes for the new world. Although over half (59%) say the pandemic has increased the importance of sustainability, the need to stabilise their business is holding them back from making bigger leaps in the sustainability agenda.

Three quarters (75%) of those questioned feel they need to run their businesses differently, with a focus on new ways of working, and almost half (48%) are looking to offer the option of working from home as they seek to provide employees with more flexibility.

Paul Sheffield, Managing Director of Drax’s Customer’s Businesses, said:

“Dealing with COVID-19 and the climate emergency is the greatest challenge the world has possibly ever faced. Business leaders recognise they need to be braver and more agile in their decision making to manage short-term priorities of stabilising their businesses and protecting employees. But they also realise that as we navigate out of lockdown, it’s more important than ever to make sure sustainability is at the heart of their operations.

“Drax is committed to enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. We are working with our customers as an energy partner, enabling them to become more sustainable, to reduce their emissions by using renewable electricity, EVs, batteries and smart technologies which are better for the environment but can also have a positive impact on their bottom line as well.”

Haven Power and Opus Energy are both specialist energy suppliers to businesses across the UK. As part of Drax Group, both brands are committed to delivering a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. By providing 100% renewable energy tariffs, developing end-to-end electric mobility solutions, and working with more than 2,300 small independent generators to provide customers with renewable energy, Drax is enabling the businesses it works with source and use their energy effectively, reducing costs and carbon emissions, whilst helping them to grow better businesses.

Get more information on the report / how to guide and learn more.

** Ends **

Notes to editors

An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 1,251 respondents from the UK, all were senior managers and worked for various different sized companies. The research fieldwork took place from June 2 to 11, 2020. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.

About Haven Power  

Haven Power is a specialist business electricity supplier, providing renewable electricity to national and global businesses across the UK. Headquartered in Ipswich, it employs almost 400 staff.

Offering 100% renewable power, its portfolio of over 20,000 customers comprises market leaders across multiple industries, including Gatwick Airport, Edgbaston, Sutton & East Surrey Water, Colchester Hospital and Salford City Council.

As part of Drax Group, Haven Power is committed to delivering a low-cost, zero-carbon energy future. For more detailed information, please visit https://www.havenpower.com

About Opus Energy

Opus Energy is the UK’s fifth-biggest business energy supplier, supplying electricity and gas to more than 350,000 business locations across the UK. It employs over 900 people between Northampton, Oxford and Cardiff.

Sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources last year and purchasing power from over 2,300 renewable generators in the UK, Opus Energy is part of Drax Group and is committed to delivering a low-cost, zero-carbon energy future.

For more detailed information please visit https://www.opusenergy.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 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

Power station ash paves the way for £1.5 billion road building project

7 July 2020

Press releases
The scheme includes a major new bypass to the south of Huntingdon and upgrades to 21 miles of the A14.

Last month the £1.5 billion A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme was completed six months ahead of schedule, providing improved links between the East of England, the Midlands and the North.

The ash from Drax Power Station, in North Yorkshire, was a key ingredient in the project’s concrete structures. Power Minerals Ltd (PML), which has a team based at the power station marketing the station’s ash stockpile, partnered with concrete firm Mick George to supply the road scheme.

“The success of the A14 scheme shows what the UK’s construction sector is capable of, when it works as one to achieve a common goal,” said Nigel Waldron, Managing Director of PML.

“Our long-standing relationship with Drax and our partnership with Mick George was just one part of a collective industry-wide effort that has resulted in the A14 project coming in before time and on budget.

“Infrastructure projects can play a major part in restarting the UK’s economy post-Coronavirus, and this project, which was the biggest road building scheme in the UK, is a prime example of what can be achieved by industry working across the sectors.”

In February, Drax announced that it would stop using coal in March next year as part of its world-leading ambition to become a carbon negative company by 2030 by pioneering Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology. This means it will remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than is produced across its operations. Over the last decade four of the power station’s six generating units have been converted to use sustainable biomass and now produce 12% of the UK’s renewable energy. This has transformed Drax to become the UK’s largest renewable power generator and is the biggest decarbonisation project in Europe.

The scheme includes a major new bypass to the south of Huntingdon and upgrades to 21 miles of the A14.

Mike Maudsley, Drax Group’s UK Portfolio Generation Director, said:

“Ending the use of coal at Drax next year will be a landmark moment in achieving our world-leading ambition to become a carbon negative company by 2030.

“The use of our ash in this major construction project will leave a lasting legacy in the communities it has helped to connect across the A14 long-after coal generation comes to an end at the power station.”

Major construction and development projects that use PML’s ash in their concrete boast better ‘green’ credentials, as the cement manufacturing process uses significantly less energy. Using power station ash to make concrete also protects the environment, by removing the need to mine fresh aggregate from the countryside.

The £1.5 billion A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme took four years to complete, upgrading 21 miles of road to transform journeys on the A14 in Cambridgeshire, shaving up to 20 minutes off journeys and strengthening links between the North, the Midlands and the East of England.

Work on the project began in November 2016. It employed more than 14,000 people in total, with up to 2,500 working on site during the project’s peak. Building the new road took 14 million construction hours – the equivalent of almost 1,600 years.

ENDS

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Gary Phelps
PR executive for Power Minerals Ltd
E: [email protected]
T: 07720 403036

About PML

Power Minerals Ltd (PML) is the UK’s leading independent supplier of Power Station by-products, providing ash sales and marketing services for the power generation sector, and creating a robust and reliable supply chain of sustainable energy by-products to the construction, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.

As well as working with the by-products of coal-powered energy, our investments and research programmes are exploring new markets for the by-products of biomass power stations, and other renewable energy plants.

Every year PML diverts millions of tonnes of ash from landfill, while reducing the need for its clients to impact the countryside by mining for virgin aggregates. By sourcing its products in the UK, PML reduces their carbon footprint. We are also retrieving long-forgotten ash from old stockpiles, and developing methods to enhance these sources, ensuring a sustainable supply chain for the future.

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.

Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.

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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers:  

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production:

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

DB Cargo UK secures new five-year contract with Drax

2 July 2020

Press releases
Train arriving at Selby, Selby Power Station, Yorkshire, UK, 2019

One of the UK’s largest rail freight operators, DB Cargo UK will operate an average of 60 trains per week from the ports of Immingham and Hull to Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire.

Each train will carry around 1,650 tonnes of sustainable biomass to Drax Power Station, which provides flexible and reliable renewable power for millions of UK homes and businesses.

Drax supplies 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity. Using sustainable biomass instead of coal at Drax Power Station has reduced emissions by more than 80% and helped the UK power system decarbonise faster than any other country.

Roger Neary, Head of Sales at DB Cargo UK, said:

“We are delighted that Drax has chosen to extend our existing contract with them for another five years. We are proud of the important role our people continue to play in delivering an efficient and sustainable source of renewable energy for use here in the UK.”

Mike Maudsley, UK Portfolio Generation Director at Drax, said:

“These rail deliveries are a critical part of our global supply chain for sustainable biomass that supports thousands of jobs and has delivered economic growth across the north of England, while supplying renewable electricity to millions of homes and businesses.

“We’re very pleased to extend our existing contract with DB Cargo UK for another five years and look forward to continuing to work with the team.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Selina Williams
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07912230393

Richard Sears
DB Cargo UK’s Senior Communications Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07716691193

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.

Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.

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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers:

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production:

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Drax Group CEO responds to Committee on Climate Change’s report to Parliament ‘Reducing UK emissions’

25 June 2020

Press releases
Biomass storage dome, Drax Power Station

“Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) presents an unrivalled opportunity for the UK to show global leadership in a vital negative emissions technology, urgently needed to tackle the climate crisis and help protect and create jobs during the post-Covid economic recovery.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner in the control room at Drax Power Station [Click to view/download]

“Drax is pioneering BECCS at the power station in North Yorkshire – we just announced a new pilot project in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Using BECCS at scale will help to boost the UK’s economy following the Covid crisis and support the development of a zero carbon industrial cluster in the Humber region – delivering clean growth and protecting thousands of jobs.”

Main photo in high res: Biomass storage domes and electric bus at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire

Notes to Editors

  • Drax announced a world leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030 by using BECCS
  • Using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) Drax will remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it produces, creating a negative carbon footprint for the company by 2030.
  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UK Committee on Climate Change agree that BECCS is critical to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
  • Sustainable biomass is an important part of the UK’s long-term energy mix. Combining this renewable fuel with carbon capture and storage technology on Drax’s biomass generating units means the Group’s operations could capture 16 million tonnes of CO2a year or more – a third of the UK’s target.
  • The UK Committee on Climate Change’s ‘Net Zero’ report states that BECCS could generate up to 173 TWh of electricity by 2050, capturing up to 51 million tonnes of CO2– around half of the remaining carbon in the economy that the UK will need to capture to become ‘net zero’.
  • Drax launched the Zero Carbon Humber campaign with Equinor and National Grid Ventures, aimed at creating the world’s first zero carbon industrial cluster in the region. As the world’s first negative emissions power station Drax could be the anchor for a net zero industrial cluster in the Humber region – protecting thousands of jobs, delivering clean growth and new export opportunities for the region.

Negative emissions pioneer Drax and leading global carbon capture company – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group – announce new BECCS pilot

24 June 2020

Press releases
Flue gas desulphurisation unit at Drax Power Station

  • A new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot facility will be installed within Drax’s CCUS Incubation Area in the autumn.

  • The pilot facility will enable Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to demonstrate its BECCS technology can be used at scale and help deliver against the UK’s zero carbon targets.

  • The new MHI BECCS pilot will enhance Drax’s technical understanding for delivering negative emissions at the UK’s largest renewable power generator and help the energy company to drive forward its world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030.

Drax Group and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd., part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group (MHI), have agreed a new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project at Drax Power Station which will get underway this autumn.

The pilot will test MHI’s carbon capture technology – marking another step on Drax’s journey towards achieving its world-leading ambition to be a carbon negative company by 2030.

MHI’s 12-month pilot will capture around 300kg of CO2 a day for the purpose of confirming its technology’s suitability for use with biomass flue gases at Drax.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax CEO Will Gardiner in Drax Power Station control room [Click to view/download]

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Our plans to develop ground-breaking BECCS at the power station in North Yorkshire will help to boost the UK’s economy following the Covid crisis and support the development of a zero carbon industrial cluster in the Humber region – delivering clean growth and protecting thousands of jobs.

“We’re very pleased to be working with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on this exciting pilot which will further our understanding of the potential for deploying BECCS at scale at Drax – taking us closer to achieving our world-leading ambition to be a carbon negative company by 2030.”

Two of MHI’s proprietary solvents will be tested, one of which — KS-1TM Solvent — is already being used at 13 commercial plants delivered by MHI, including Petra Nova in Texas, USA, the world’s largest post combustion carbon capture facility, capturing 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 a year. The other  is the newly developed KS-21TM Solvent,  designed to achieve significant performance improvements and cost savings.

Kenji Terasawa, President & CEO, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, said:

“We are very proud to be a part of the BECCS pilot project with Drax. We firmly believe that our carbon capture technology would be able to contribute to the UK’s zero carbon targets in a material way.”

Implementing BECCS at Drax could deliver 16 million tonnes of negative emissions a year – a third of the negative emissions the UK needs from BECCS to reach its zero carbon targets by 2050 and anchor a zero carbon industrial cluster in the Humber region, delivering clean growth whilst protecting 55,000 jobs.

An engineer looks up at flue gas desulphurisation unit (FGD) at Drax Power Station. The massive pipe would transport flue gas from the Drax boilers to the carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant for CO2 removal of between 90-95%.

An engineer looks up at flue gas desulphurisation unit (FGD) at Drax Power Station. The massive pipe would transport flue gas from the Drax boilers to the carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant for CO2 removal of between 90-95%. [Click to view/download]

Nigel Adams MP, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, said:

“This is an exciting collaboration between Drax and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries which has the potential to further the development of technology which could help the UK achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and contribute to the post-Covid economic recovery.”

MHI aims to continue reducing greenhouse gases globally by providing reliable and economically feasible carbon capture technology, supported by research and development activity over 30 years and commercial records around the world.

ENDS 

Top image caption: Flue gas desulphurisation unit (FGD) at Drax Power Station. The massive pipe would transport flue gas from the Drax boilers to the carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant for CO2 removal of between 90-95%. [View/download here and from another perspective here.]

Media contacts:

Selina Williams
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07912230393

Corporate Communication Department
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
E: [email protected]
T: +81-(0)3-6275-6200

Editor’s Notes

The Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery (KM CDR) Process is installed in 13 commercial plants around the world. Graphic courtesy of MHI. [Click to view/download.]

  • MHI, together with Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (KEPCO) started the development of the Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery (KM CDR) Process™, a post-combustion carbon capture technology, in 1990. As of June 2020, MHI has delivered a total of 13 commercial plants with the KM CDR Process™, making it a global leader in carbon capture technology deployment. Two more plants are currently under construction.
  • During the pilot, MHI and Drax will test two MHI solvents: KS-1™ and KS-21™. KS-1™ is currently being used at all commercial plants that use the KM CDR Process™ and has proven to be a competitive and reliable solvent of choice. MHI, with support of KEPCO, have continued to improve upon the KM CDR Process™ and have recently developed KS-21™. KS-21™ has many promising characteristics including lower volatility and more stability against degradation, and MHI believes that this will result in operational cost savings making the Advanced KM CDR Process™ even more economic for future deployment.
  • Drax announced its ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, by using BECCS at scale at its North Yorkshire power station last year.
  • It is working with a number of clean tech companies which are pioneering new technologies to decarbonise other sectors and deliver clean growth for the UK.
  • Drax is working with Equinor and National Grid Ventures on the Zero Carbon Humber project which aims to deliver the first zero carbon industrial cluster in the UK’s most carbon intensive region using carbon capture and storage technology as well as hydrogen.

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.

Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.

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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers:  

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production:

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world’s leading industrial firms with 80,000 group employees and annual consolidated revenues of around 38 billion U.S. dollars. For more than 130 years, the company has channeled big thinking into innovative and integrated solutions that move the world forward. MHI owns a unique business portfolio covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI delivers innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries from commercial aviation and transportation to power plants and gas turbines, and from machinery and infrastructure to integrated defense and space systems.

For more information, please visit MHI’s website: www.mhi.com/index.html

For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI’s new online media SPECTRA: spectra.mhi.com

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (MHIENG), headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, was founded as an engineering company of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group on January 1, 2018. MHIENG takes over the engineering business of the chemical plants and transportation systems of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and extends them with newly added environmental facilities. MHIENG has provided numerous Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects covering large-scale infrastructure, such as chemical plants, environmental plants, and transportation systems, in many countries and regions around the world. The Company readily meet diversified customer expectations by undertaking all phases from project planning to basic design, detailed design, procurement, manufacture, construction, commissioning, after-sales service, and Operation & Maintenance (O&M), and capital participation in businesses.

For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://www.mhiengineering.com/

New smart meter to give Drax’s business customers more control of their energy

17 June 2020

Press releases
  • Trial of polyphase SMETS 2 smart meters aimed at giving Drax’s larger business customers better control of their power use, making them more sustainable
  • The trial is the first of its kind to develop technology that will pave the way for more sophisticated smart metering solutions

The technology needed to install the newest smart meters in businesses with larger and more complex electricity supplies, such as schools or large commercial premises hasn’t been available, so some of the largest energy users have been unable to benefit from the smartest technologies.

Polyphase SMETS2 smart meters will allow larger businesses to track their energy usage, and use the same software used by the millions of single-phase smart meters installed in homes and small businesses across the UK.

The new technology could enable Drax’s energy supply businesses, Haven Power and Opus Energy, to offer large business customers access to smart metering technology, giving them greater control over their energy use with the potential to operate more sustainably.

Paul Sheffield, Managing Director of Drax’s customers business, said:

“We’re confident that this new smart meter technology is going to be a game changer for thousands of our larger customers.

“This technology will enable them to enjoy greater flexibility and control over their electricity use, making them more sustainable, which will be good for both the environment and their bottom line.”

The meters will be field tested with selected Drax business customers, such as utilities and large NHS Trusts, in the autumn.

The work by Drax, the DCC and EDMI has continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic with all partners working remotely to develop and test the technology.

The project has included establishing a new polyphase smart meter testing lab, where the new technology is being developed within the DCC’s Manchester facility, the operational headquarters of Britain’s smart meter network. The facility can test 2,400 smart meters simultaneously and has a technical operation centre which can monitor the install and operation of every smart meter across the country.

The new smart meters will operate securely on the network, using a specialist software platform from Utiligroup, a key technology-services partner of Drax.

Dan Lambert, Chief Operating Officer for the DCC, said:

“The DCC’s network is the digital backbone of the energy industry, and our customers like Drax are constantly working to help us extend its reach to more homes and businesses. Polyphase smart meters will make it available to even more businesses, from farms to tech start-ups.

“It’s been impressive how well the whole sector has collaborated throughout lockdown on this complex work. With our customers, we’re making Britain more connected so we can all lead smarter, greener lives.”

Alan Masterman, Managing Director of smart meter manufacturer EDMI Europe Limited, said:

“We are incredibly proud of the work this partnership is achieving. Smart meters are the foundation of the energy revolution and are therefore an essential component for large businesses that have previously not had access to smart technology. 

“At EDMI we are committed to the development of products that best meet market demands, for our customers. The close working of both Drax and the DCC has resulted in the development and creation of a meter that supports the continued expansion of the smart meter programme.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ben Wicks
Drax Group Media Manager (Customers)
E: [email protected]
T: 07761 525 662

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.

Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.

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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers:  

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production:

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

About the Data Communications Company (DCC)

Smart DCC has built and maintained the secure national infrastructure that underpins the roll-out of smart meters across Great Britain. This wireless network connects smart meters to energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users. Our network allows consumers to switch suppliers while maintaining smart functionality. It also provides smart metering data to network operators to support the digitisation of the energy industry and the development of a smarter, greener grid. It is maintained to very high security standards, as endorsed by the National Cyber Security Centre. The DCC is also the key delivery partner for Ofgem’s faster, more reliable Switching programme.

For more information visit: smartdcc.co.uk

About EDMI

EDMI Limited is one of the leading smart metering solutions providers in the world. EDMI is focused on designing, developing and manufacturing innovative and technologically advanced energy meters and metering systems for the global utility industry. EDMI’s metering portfolio includes a comprehensive range of premium quality metering products, advanced infrastructure and energy management systems. EDMI is owned by Osaki Electric Co., Ltd, a Japanese metering solutions provider listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

For more information, please visit: www.edmi-meters.com.

Spokesperson statement on Drax Power Station Unit 6 testing

16 June 2020

Press releases
Engineer conducting maintenance at Drax Power Station

Essential maintenance has been carried out on one of our coal generating units as is usual during the spring and summer months when demand is lower, and the coal units are not required to run. Following the completion of this work we need to make sure the unit is performing well, ready for the winter when demand for power increases and the coal units are expected to run. As a result, tests are being carried out now which require the unit to generate power.

Ends

Notes to editors

 

£1.1m refurbishment of historic Drax hydro power station

10 June 2020

Press releases

The Lanark hydro scheme, which comprises both Stonebyres and Bonnington power stations, was the first large-scale hydroelectric scheme in Britain when it was completed in 1927 – producing enough electricity for around 17,000 homes.

Using the plentiful supply of water from the River Clyde to spin the power stations’ turbines, the hydro scheme can operate almost continuously throughout the year to provide a reliable and sustainable source of renewable electricity.

Senior civil engineer, Anne Kerr, and Head of Hydro, Ian Kinnaird, view the station from a bridge over the river Clyde.

The refurbishment of the power station was a complex task due to Stonebyres being a category A listed building – the highest possible grading, as a result of it being designated as a site of national architectural importance.

The restoration of the historic site was led by Drax Group senior civil engineer Anne Kerr.

“Restoring Stonebyres has been a labour of love for my team,” she explained.

“It was a complex and challenging project, involving a great deal of care to protect the station’s many original features. It has been a real privilege to not only safeguard Stonebyres’ history but to play a part in its future too.”

Anne Kerr and Ian Kinnaird in front of the newly refurbished power station.

As part of the project, every original pane of glass and window frame in the building was painstakingly replaced using stronger, modern materials, but which retain the station’s original design. The power station’s exterior received a new concrete coating as well as a coat of mineral-based paint to protect the integrity of the building for decades to come.

The £1.1m refurbishment has transformed Stonebyres.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Head of Hydro, said:

“Stonebyres Power Station has been producing reliable, renewable electricity for almost a century, and this major refurbishment will ensure it continues to do so for many years to come.

“Since the refurbishment, the station looks almost brand new – you would be forgiven for not realising it has been generating electricity for the area since 1927. Scotland has a long and proud history of hydroelectricity, and with this project Drax is ensuring these power stations play an important part in securing a net zero carbon future for our country.”

Drax acquired the Lanark hydro scheme alongside the Galloway hydro scheme and the Cruachan pumped-hydro storage facility in Argyll in January 2019, helping to make the company a leading provider of flexible, low carbon and renewable power generation.

An artist’s drawing of the site pre-refurbishment

Top image Caption: Stonebyres Power Station has been restored to its original design.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Editor’s Notes

  • Prior to work starting at Stonebyres power station, it was scaffolded and wrapped in plastic to protect the building while the work was completed.
  • The replacement steel windows have been individually fabricated and fitted whilst the old paint on the outside of the building was removed using grit blasting before being washed down. A survey then identified areas for repair and all loose and damaged concrete was removed.
  • The paint used in the project is mineral based, and chemically bonds with the concrete to allow water to evaporate from the concrete.

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.

Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.

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.  It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.

Customers:  

Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pellet production:

Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Drax spokesperson comments on consultative ballot

9 June 2020

Press releases
Coal pile and biomass storage domes, Drax Power Station, 2016

“Stopping using coal is something Drax has been working on for well over a decade. The move away from coal is the right decision for the environment, our communities and our business. We have been talking to our employees and the unions for over two years about the impact coal closure will have on people, because we recognise this is going to be difficult for them and their families. We are consulting with trades unions and employee representatives on an enhanced redundancy package and support is being provided to those affected.

“We gave our employees over a year’s notice – the job losses will take place in April 2021. This means we have time to support those affected to get the best outcomes for them.

“Earlier this year, we announced that we’re talking to the government, trades unions and other industrial businesses in the North about setting up a Zero Carbon Skills Taskforce to help develop the skills needed to enable people in the North to take advantage of future opportunities beyond coal as we transition to a greener economy after the Covid crisis.”

  • Drax’s plans to develop ground-breaking bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at the power station in North Yorkshire will help boost the UK’s economy following the Covid crisis and support the development of a zero carbon industrial cluster in the Humber region – delivering clean growth while protecting 55,000 jobs.