Archives: Press Release

Drax strengthens biomass sustainability policy and appoints Independent Advisory Board

17 October 2019

Press releases
LaSalle BioEnergy catchment area working forests

  • Former UK government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Sir John Beddington to chair new Independent Advisory Board (IAB) which will ensure Drax’s biomass sourcing meets latest scientific research and best practice

  • New biomass sustainability policy drawn from recommendations in a report commissioned by the European Climate Foundation

In the updated policy, Drax has outlined how it will use the latest science and best practice and work with academic institutions and non-profit organisations to meet its core commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, protect the natural environment, support people and communities and carry out research and outreach.

Drax also details the evidence the company will gather to increase transparency on its biomass sourcing and impacts. These include using big data and satellite images to evaluate the impact on forest cover and biodiversity in areas that supply the biomass the company uses.

New rail line and wood pellet loading bay with sawmill residues in view at Drax LaSalle BioEnergy

New rail line and wood pellet loading bay with sawmill residues in view at Drax LaSalle BioEnergy. Click to view/download in high res.

This comes in addition to the company’s current commitment to certification through the Sustainable Biomass Program, a globally recognised certification system designed for biomass from wood for use in energy production.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner said:

Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group.

Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group. Click image to view/download in high res.

“We’re committed to continuously raising standards in biomass sustainability, so our sourcing policies must evolve as the science develops.

“With stronger policies in place and an independent board to challenge us every step of the way, we will be setting the standard for others to follow, which is important as sustainable biomass plays an increasing role in addressing climate change.”

The UK government’s former Chief Scientific Adviser Sir John Beddington will chair the six-member IAB, which will provide independent advice to Drax in all areas of its biomass sourcing including procurement practises and feedstock options.

IAB Chair Sir John Beddington said:

“The IPCC and Committee on Climate Change both recognise that sustainably sourced biomass will play an important role in meeting climate change targets. I decided to chair the IAB because it’s vital that biomass is sourced sustainably and takes the latest scientific thinking into account.

John Beddington

John Beddington. Click image to view/download in high res.

“As the science evolves, we will make recommendations to ensure that the biomass used at Drax makes a positive contribution to our climate and the environment.”

Drax’s biomass sustainability policy draws on recommendations made by Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, in a report commissioned by the European Climate Foundation, a philanthropic foundation.

The Forest Research report recommends 15 key criteria to deliver sustainable biomass that has the best outcome for the environment. These include favouring biomass that is associated with activities to conserve and enhance forest growth and productivity and a commitment not to take from sources that lead to deforestation.

Following the conversion of two thirds of the North Yorkshire power station to use biomass instead of coal, last year Drax reduced its carbon emissions by over 80% since 2012, making it the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and Europe’s largest decarbonisation project.

The company has plans to go further in its decarbonisation with the development of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage technologies which could enable Drax to become the world’s first negative emissions power station in the 2030s.

ENDS

Main photo caption: Working forest in Drax LaSalle BioEnergy catchment area. View/download in high res.

Media contacts

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: +44 7712 670 888

Selina Williams
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)7912 230 393

Editor’s Notes

  • Members of Drax’s Independent Advisory Board are:
    • Professor Sir John Beddington (Chair) – Former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser
    • Professor Lord John Krebs (Vice Chair) – Emeritus Professor of Zoology, University of Oxford and crossbench member of the House of Lords
    • Virginia Dale – Adjunct Professor, University of Tennessee
    • Professor Sam Fankhauser – Director of the LSE Grantham Institute
    • Elena Schmidt – Standards Director, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomass
    • Forest Research (Ex-Officio) – A representative from Forest Research, the UK’s primary organisation for forest science will also join the Board in an ex-officio capacity
  • The Board will provide independent advice to Drax on:
    • The role of biomass in Drax’s climate change mitigation activities and in supporting the transition to a net zero energy system
    • Feedstock options, sourcing decisions, forest science, forest carbon science and how Drax can optimise carbon impacts
    • Procurement practices
    • Societal expectations for responsible and sustainable biomass
    • And give feedback and recommendations on Drax’s sustainable biomass approach and performance
  • More information on the Board can be found here
  • Drax’s biomass sourcing policy contains four key commitments:
    • We will reduce CO2 emissions
    • We will protect the natural environment
    • We will support people and communities
    • We will carry out research, outreach and intervention
  • More information on Drax’s biomass sourcing policy can be found here (PDF)
  • The referenced Forest Research paper was commissioned by the European Climate Foundation and can be found here

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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:  

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses

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

Cruachan Visitor Centre wins 5-star award from VisitScotland

8 October 2019

Press releases
Cruachan visitor centre

VisitScotland gave the centre, which is located at the power station on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute, the highest scores for hospitality and friendliness – elevating the centre to the top 2% of their quality assurance scheme for the first time.

Sarah Cameron, Cruachan Visitor Centre Manager said:

“We’re thrilled to be recognised among the best of the best in Scotland. Our dedicated team always go the extra mile to make sure the experience people have here is as engaging and educational as possible.

“We have around 50,000 visitors a year, and they’re often awestruck by how this power station has been built inside a mountain. The stunning scenery and wildlife – including the pine martens, which people love to watch – makes it a very special place to visit.”

Drax’s Sarah Cameron who is manager of the visitor centre.

As well as the pine martens, Cruachan is also home to swallows, ospreys and golden eagles and often attracts walkers keen to take in the stunning views.

Cruachan power station was built in the 1960s deep inside the hollowed-out Ben Cruachan mountain. More than 1,000 workers, known as the Tunnel Tigers, drilled and blasted through the rock to create the cavernous power station.

Visitors can take guided tours inside the subterranean world of the power station where they can see the machine hall and learn about its history and the feat of engineering required to build it.

The visitor centre’s interactive exhibitions and displays help bring history to life and explain how electricity is generated. There is also a café, gift shop and picnic area.

As Scotland’s national tourism organisation, VisitScotland’s quality assurance scheme helps businesses develop their standards to the highest possible level. It uses benchmarking and ‘secret shopper’ visits to assess sites.

David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland Regional Director, said:

“Our scheme is about much more than just a star rating – it is about the entire visitor experience and investing in the business to make it as economically sustainable, and profitable, as it can be.”

Drax has introduced free guided tours at the Hollow Mountain for schools and higher education institutions during term time as part of its commitment to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects and careers.

The company acquired Cruachan power station at the end of 2018, as part of its acquisition of a portfolio of flexible, renewable and low-carbon generating assets. Drax renovated the visitor centre and reopened it in February.

The visitor centre is open from 9.15am to 3.45pm in winter and 9.15am to 4.45pm in summer, Monday to Friday. The Hollow Mountain café uses produce grown at the centre’s own vegetable garden in its soups, sandwiches and salads.

To find out more about visiting Cruachan, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/.

TOP IMAGE: The Hollow Mountain visitor centre at the Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

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

Editor’s Notes

  • Drax Group completed the acquisition of a portfolio of renewable, low-carbon and flexible power stations, in strategic locations across the country – from Scotland to the South East coast – on 31st December 2018.
  • Cruachan Power Station is located on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It is one of only four pumped hydro storage stations in the UK and has a capacity of 440 MW – enough to power more than 90,000 homes.
  • Cruachan was the first reversible pumped storage hydro system on this scale to be built in the world
  • The turbine hall is located 1 km within the hollowed-out mountain of Ben Cruachan and houses four generators.
  • The plant has four primary modes of operation and can deliver a range of balancing and ancillary services.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Customers:  

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

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’s planning application to develop the latest in high efficiency gas turbine technology has been approved

4 October 2019

Press releases
Artist's impression of Drax Power Station CCGT

Drax’s planning application to develop the latest in high efficiency gas turbine technology has been approved.

The project could enable Drax to deliver more reliable and flexible, high efficiency electricity generation at its power station in North Yorkshire – helping the UK to transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Drax must secure a capacity market agreement to underpin the investment needed to develop the first combined cycle generating unit.

If developed, 1.8GW of new capacity would be available at Drax from October 2023. This could help to displace less efficient and higher carbon emitting power stations, enabling further decarbonisation of the UK’s power system, whilst creating up to 800 jobs during construction.

Heavy loads safely delivered to iconic power station

3 October 2019

Press releases
Drax Transformer to Cruachan move

The unusually large loads were transported separately during the night to reduce any disruption to other road users and required two short road closures on the A82 between Crianlarich and Tyndrum, as well as the temporary reinforcement of a bridge at Inverherive, to ensure it could withstand the weight.

The transformers were built for use at Cruachan but were held in long-term storage at Longannet power station, which is being decommissioned. The transformers were part of Drax’s acquisition of a portfolio of flexible, low-carbon and renewable power generating assets, which completed at the end of last year and included Cruachan power station.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax Head of Hydro, said:

“Cruachan is a vital piece of our generating portfolio as it can provide power at short notice, helping to plug the gaps when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine.

“Moving this important infrastructure to Cruachan means we have a couple of spares available on site, so we’ll be able to reduce the length of time a generating unit is out of action should a transformer require repairing, enabling us to get back up and running more quickly.”

Cruachan is one of only four pumped hydro storage stations in the UK and has a capacity of 440 MW – enough to power more than 90,000 homes at times of peak demand.

Built on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute, it was the first reversible pumped storage hydro system on this scale to be built in the world.

The transformers were stripped back to the core to make them lighter and able to fit under bridges. The size of the load limited driving speeds to an average of about 10 miles per hour. The units were relocated in stages over two weeks, with the moves completed on Tuesday October 1. The transformers are now being reassembled on site at Cruachan.

Driving the transformer up to Drax’s Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station.

Road closures were carried out in accordance with the requirements of local police and transport authorities, who planned the timing of the closures to cause the least inconvenience to other road users.

TOP IMAGE: Driving the transformer over temporary bridge reinforcement at Inverherive.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

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

Editor’s Notes

  • Each transformer weighs 115 tonnes and measures more than 2.5 metres high. The transformer, transport trailer and tractor unit together weighed over 200 tonnes.
  • Cruachan became part of the Drax Group through an acquisition that completed on 31 December 2018.
  • The turbine hall is located 1 km within the hollowed-out mountain of Ben Cruachan and houses four generators. The plant has four primary modes of operation and can deliver a range of balancing and ancillary services essential for supporting the electricity grid and maintaining secure supplies.
  • Cruachan acts responsively by generating electricity to meet peak-time demand. It can achieve full load in 30 seconds and can maintain its maximum power production for more than 16 hours if necessary.
  • Cruachan Power Station is also a popular tourist destination. Guided tours are available through the Cruachan website with visitors and school groups welcomed between February and mid-December.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Customers:  

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

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 employees raise £6,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support

Press releases
Drax employees fun run for Macmillan Cancer Support

People working at Drax’s offices and power stations across the country baked cakes, or bought them to raise money for the charity, whilst others took part in an annual fun run at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.

Drax Group Chairman Phil Cox, started the 5km and 10km fun run which 70 employees took part in at the Skylark Nature Reserve next to the power station, near Selby. Each employee donated £1 per kilometre to take part in the event.

Those who opted to run the 10km course faced a climb up local landmark, Barlow Mound, which has views back over the power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire.

Hayley Adamson, Senior Biomass Portfolio Trader, completed the 5km race and was the first woman over the finishing line. She said:

“It’s great to see so many colleagues taking part in the fun run, the atmosphere’s been great – I just wish I’d completed it a bit quicker.”

Drax Group made a £2,000 charitable contribution to support the employees’ national fundraising day taking the total to £6,500 for Macmillan, which provides support and advice to cancer patients and their families.

Contractors working for Drax Power Station’s suppliers Hargreaves and Doosan Babcock also donated £1,200 towards the total raised for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Vicky Bullivant, Drax’s Head of Business Sustainability said:

“This was an outstanding Drax team effort with people right across the Group contributing to the total raised – including our contractors.

“People baked delicious cakes which were sold at a number of our offices and power stations – whilst many more of us enjoyed buying and eating them. If an army marches on its stomach then it’s probably no surprise that quite so many of our colleagues were able to complete the fun run during a morning filled with so much cake!

“We’re proud to have raised £6,500 for Macmillan, supporting the incredible work they do for so many people and we’re looking forward to organising more events over the course of the year to help raise money for charity.”

Photo caption: Phil Cox, Chair of Drax Group, starting the Fun Run at Skylark Nature Reserve, Drax Power Station

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

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

Editor’s Notes

  • In January Drax Group completed the acquisition of a portfolio of renewable, low-carbon and flexible power stations, in strategic locations across the country – from Scotland to the South East coast. This includes the pumped hydro storage facility in Cruachan and the run-of-river hydro plants in Lanark and Galloway.
  • Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire is the UK’s largest power station and the country’s biggest renewable electricity generator.
  • Since converting two thirds of the power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, it is producing enough renewable electricity for four million households and delivering carbon savings of more than 80%.
  • If Drax is able to scale up its successful bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project to become the world’s first negative emissions power station, it would be reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the same time as producing flexible, renewable power and supporting grid stability.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk

Customers:  

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

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

Will Gardiner responds to UK Government report on Greenhouse gas removal technologies

24 September 2019

Press releases
Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner at Drax Power Station.

“This report is further confirmation of the vital role that bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) will play in reaching a net zero-carbon economy and the need to deploy the UK’s first commercial project in the 2020s. Our successful BECCS pilot is already capturing a tonne of carbon a day. With the right policies in place, Drax could become the world’s first negative emissions power station and the anchor for a zero carbon economy in the Humber region.”

New rapid response gas power station approved in Abergelli

19 September 2019

Press releases

The 299MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power station, on land located at Abergelli Farm, south of Felindre in southern Wales, will be able to go from cold to full load in less than 20 minutes, enabling it to respond quickly to support the grid.

Once operational, it will run for up to an average of 1,500 hours a year, providing flexible, reliable power, when it’s needed most and system support services – contributing to a balanced and cost-effective electricity system, maintaining supplies for up to 150,000 homes.

Andy Koss, CEO Generation at Drax said:

“Securing this approval from the Secretary of State is a crucial step in ensuring development of the new gas generation the UK needs to provide flexible power and system support services to the electricity grid as part of the country’s transition to a low carbon economy.

“Rapid response gas power stations are agile enough to ramp up quickly and support the grid at times of peak demand, making them highly complementary to intermittent renewable sources of power, like wind and solar. Flexible, reliable power stations like this are essential to provide the power Britain’s homes, businesses, transport and infrastructure need.”

Abergelli Power Station will cost up to £90m to build, with around 150 jobs created during the two-year construction phase. It could be generating power as soon as 2022, subject to it securing a capacity market agreement from the government.

Drax applied for a Development Consent Order for Abergelli Power in 2018 with extensive community consultation as part of the planning and consenting process. Drax Group will continue to engage with communities local to the project as the project progresses.

ENDS

Image caption: An artist’s impression of the Abergelli Power Open Cycle Gas Turbine power station on land located at Abergelli Farm, south of Felindre in southern Wales.

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

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

Editor’s Notes

  • Drax plans to enter Abergelli Power into the next Capacity Market Auction for the period 2022-2023, known as T-3, and 2023-2024, known as T-4.
  • The Capacity Market Auction is the government’s mechanism for securing enough power generation for the UK at the lowest cost.
  • The timing of the next auction is expected to take place in early 2020 following the suspension of the UK government’s Capacity Market pending the outcome of a European Commission investigation.
  • The Development Consent Order (DCO) is published on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

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

ENDS

Drax tees off to raise £2,200 for Macmillan Cancer Support

12 September 2019

Press releases
Drax charity golf tournament

Drax raised £2,200 at its annual charity golf day at the Lanark Golf Club, located near the firm’s landmark Lanark and Galloway hydro-power schemes.

Organised by Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Head of Hydro, this year’s event saw 24 Drax staff take to the fairway to raise money for Macmillan, which works throughout Scotland (and the UK) to provide emotional, physical and financial support for people affected by cancer. Cancer charities are one of four national causes Drax is supporting in 2019 and the company contributed £1,000 towards the total raised by the teams on the day.

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

“Despite some variable weather – which included some good hydro weather – we had a fantastic day raising money for a great cause. Scotland’s the birthplace of golf and this is Drax’s own Ryder Cup with teams from our energy sites across Scotland and England all competing with winners from Cruachan power station, making it a fantastic fundraising opportunity for our business.”

“We’re proud to have raised £2,200 for Macmillan, supporting the incredible work they do for so many people and we’re looking forward to the other events we’ll be organising for them over the course of the year.”

Teeing off for charity: Andrew Davidson (Galloway), Ian Kinnaird (Head of UK Hydro) and David Campbell (Cruachan)

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

Editor’s Notes

  • In January Drax Group completed the acquisition of a portfolio of renewable, low-carbon and flexible power stations, in strategic locations across the country – from Scotland to the South East coast. This includes the pumped hydro storage facility in Cruachan and the run-of-river hydro plants in Lanark and Galloway.
  • Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire is the UK’s largest power station and the country’s biggest renewable electricity generator.
  • Since converting two thirds of the power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, it is producing enough renewable electricity for four million households and delivering carbon savings of more than 80%.
  • If Drax is able to scale up its successful bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project to become the world’s first negative emissions power station, it would be reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the same time as producing flexible, renewable power and supporting grid stability.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-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.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk