Archives: Press Release

Offshore wind shortfall risks higher power prices and carbon emissions

24 October 2023

News
  • The latest UK offshore wind auction failed to procure new power, leaving a key climate target at risk
  • Plugging this new gap could mean an additional 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and a more than 20% rise in wholesale electricity prices
  • Imperial College academics warn the country is too reliant on a single technology and that the CfD system may have to become more flexible in the future

New analysis by academics at Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights reveals that the UK’s stalled offshore wind developments jeopardises its climate targets, potentially leading to substantially higher power prices and increased carbon emissions.

Rising inflation left the auction unable to deliver new offshore wind projects as the upper limit set for prices through the Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme was now too low. The Government had hoped to secure up to 5 GW of power at the auction to help meet its target to install 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030.

In a special report on the fallout from the auction, Drax Electric Insights estimates that the impact of this auction could be felt into the future and later this decade the country runs the risk of an annual shortfall of 26 TWh electricity generation. This gap will most likely be filled by increased reliance on gas and imports from abroad, leading to an additional 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and a more than 20% rise in wholesale electricity prices.

The report’s authors suggest the current framework’s dependence on wind means it is “relying too heavily on a single technology to support the decarbonisation of the UK’s electricity system,” and proposes “taking a more balanced approach that distributes the share of heavy lifting done by different low carbon technologies would be more effective.”

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report series, said:

“The UK’s decarbonisation strategy is focused heavily on offshore wind, but the auction shows the danger of putting all your eggs in the one basket. The UK has to triple its offshore wind capacity in just seven years to meet the government’s target. With the auction delivering no new capacity, there’s now a huge shortfall and the goal is looking increasingly unattainable.

“This auction should serve as a wake-up call for both government and industry. It may be time to re-evaluate the CfD design to ensure it continues to incentivise not only new projects, but also generation once they are operational. We need to ensure investment is going into a range of low carbon technologies to share the load of decarbonisation.”

Other low carbon or renewable technologies which have been gaining interest from industry and government in recent years include small nuclear modular reactors, long-duration energy storage and carbon capture.

Drax was the first energy company in the world to announce an ambition to become carbon negative by 2030 through utilising Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology. The company has radically decarbonised its business by transforming its largest power plant – Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire – to use biomass to generate renewable electricity instead of coal.

The company plans to deploy BECCS technology at its UK plant this decade, permanently capturing and removing up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year – more than enough to cover the additional emissions created from the offshore wind auction’s failure.

Penny Small, Drax’s Group Generation Director, said:

“The UK cannot reach net zero without deploying carbon capture and storage technologies at scale. That’s why we are progressing plans to deploy BECCS at Drax Power Station so we can capture and permanently remove up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.

“In addition to removing carbon from the atmosphere, BECCS simultaneously provides the country with reliable, renewable electricity. We are engaged in formal discussions with the Government about the project and, providing these are successful, we plan to invest billions in delivering BECCS in the UK.”

Read the full report here: https://reports.electricinsights.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Electric-Insights-AR5-Report.pdf

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax welcomes 16 new graduates into career scheme

23 October 2023

News

The graduates have secured places on the scheme at Drax Group and will be based at Drax sites across the UK, including offices in Ipswich, Northampton and London, and Drax Power Station near Selby – the UK’s largest single site renewable power generator, which produces enough renewable electricity for five million homes.

The programme lasts two or three years, depending on each placement, and allows the participants to rotate around teams within their department in order to prepare them for the next stage of their career. The graduates have been placed across a range of departments including finance, trading and engineering depending on their training and career ambitions.

Karen McKeever, Drax Chief People Officer, said,

“We are delighted to be able to offer these placements to graduates across a range of our business areas because it’s essential to our success that we nurture and develop future talent. It’s also a very rewarding part of the work we do and we look forward to the moment each year when we can welcome new graduates who are keen to learn and contribute.”

Katie Marsh, who has joined as a Finance Graduate, said,

“I was interested in Drax because I felt passionate about being a part of making a difference and felt that Drax offered me the opportunity to do this. Consistently striving to make realistic positive changes for the future of the energy sector, I felt Drax’s values and goals aligned with my own as they not only recognised the problems that come with climate change but actively demonstrated how they were going to make a difference.”

Asif Latif, who has joined Drax as a Trading & Optimisation Analyst Graduate, said,

“My experience with Drax has been very welcoming. Working in a team that understands your strengths and helps develop your weaknesses is always something as a graduate you wish for. There is so much more to learn, and I am looking forward to completing my graduate scheme and developing myself to become an asset to the trading team.”

Lewis Easton, who has joined Drax as a Graduate Turbine Engineer, said,

“I enjoy knowing how and why things work. Working as a turbine engineer at Drax lets me work with seriously impressive technology alongside really talented engineers, so there will always be something for me to learn and opportunities to grow.”

There are 16 graduates beginning their careers at Drax Group this year, some of whom include:

  • Asif Latif, University of Leeds, Trading & Optimisation Analyst Graduate
  • Katie Marsh, University of York, Finance Graduate
  • Lewis Easton, University of Leeds, Graduate Turbine Engineer

Drax already supports 17,800 direct and indirect jobs across the UK, 6,000 of which are in the North. The development of BECCS at Drax Power Station would see an additional 10,000 jobs created and supported during construction.

Drax is committed to supporting education and skills and runs a number of initiatives including work experience, tours of the power station and a long running apprenticeship scheme.

ENDS

Photo caption: Graduates attend their induction at Drax Power Station in Selby Yorkshire.

Media contact:

Sloan Woods

Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07821 665493

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Accelerating the development of CCS clusters could deliver an extra £32BN for the UK economy per year from 2050

19 October 2023

News
  • New research shows that cluster development could be worth hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of billions of pounds in GVA to the UK’s economy by 2050.
  • With over 80% of the UK’s licensed storage in the North Sea, the majority of these economic benefits could go to the North of England and create an additional 330,000 jobs.
  • If the UK fails to deliver on its CCS rollout 136,000 jobs could be at risk.

A new independent research report, UK Cluster potential – how the UK can lead the world in Carbon Capture and Storage, by Development Economics, finds that if the UK Government accelerates and expands the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Clusters across the country it could generate an extra £32bn of gross value added (GVA) for the economy from 2050 onward and nearly 500,000 additional jobs.

The research, commissioned by Drax Group, demonstrates that in the most optimistic scenario the UK Government could enhance our energy security, turbo-charge economic growth across the country and cement the UK’s position as a world-leader in carbon capture and removals technology.

It states that this scenario could be delivered through policy changes which can unlock investment and clarify how CCS Clusters are developed. These include:

  • Finalising CCS business and financial models;
  • Confirming the role of the UK ETS scheme and voluntary carbon markets in supporting investment in CCS;
  • Providing a near-term incentive for prospective storage operators to appraise storage locations building on recent North Sea Transition Authority licencing rounds.

The North of England would be the region to benefit most with £22bn added to the economy per year from 2050 onward and 330,000 additional jobs.

The report also explores the economic impacts of two additional scenarios, one where the UK delivers on current CCS policy commitments and another where it does not.

If the UK does fulfil its ambitions, it will be worth an additional £23bn per year from 2050 and an additional 310,000 jobs.

Richard Gwilliam, UK BECCS Programme Director at Drax Group, said:

“Carbon capture and removals can be a catalyst for growth, stronger energy security, increasing employment and reaching Net Zero in the UK. This research demonstrates that if the UK puts its foot on the accelerator and expands the rollout of CCS Clusters across the country, a unique prize worth tens of billions of pounds to the economy and hundreds of thousands of jobs is within reach.

“At Drax, we want to play our part in ensuring the UK becomes a global leader in CCS and that is why we are working towards installing two bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) units at Drax Power Station. This would see us become a key part of a Humber-based carbon capture cluster and we are currently working on routes to deployment through the Track 1 Expansion and Track 2 processes.”

Steve Lucas, Director at Development Economics, said:

“This research demonstrates the significant opportunity for the UK to be a global leader in carbon capture and storage and the importance of CCS for key industries which provides jobs, growth and opportunity across the UK. With ambition, clarity, and the necessary support from Government – following the key suggestions outlined in the report’s roadmap – there is a significant prize to be won for the UK economy and environment”.

However, in its recent progress report the Climate Change Committee warned that the rollout of CCS is already behind schedule and Development Economics’ research shows that if this trend continues and the UK fails to deliver on its CCS policy commitments, the economic effects could be severe.

This includes the loss of 136,000 jobs and £9bn GVA per year from 2050 from heavy-emitting companies, which will have no other route to decarbonise and therefore could move their operations abroad to countries with better resourced and more CCS clusters.

The report argues that the combination of additional support delivered in the most optimistic scenario, the country’s past hydrocarbon expertise and £15bn from the investment community for the energy transition, would put the UK on the map as a world-leader in CCS.

It also demonstrates that the Humber, with existing plans to become the world’s first carbon negative region and 80% of the UK’s licensed CO2 storage, could become a global model for regional cluster development. The research shows that with increased ambition the Humber could benefit from an additional 42,000 jobs and £3.4bn GVA per year by 2050.

Drax plans plan to invest billions in its BECCS plans at North Yorkshire’s Drax Power Station to develop two units which could remove 8Mt of carbon from the atmosphere per year while continuing to provide renewable baseload power to the UK grid.

This will ensure the station continues to generate secure renewable electricity into the future while delivering up to 10,000 high-skilled jobs in the Humber at the project’s peak and playing a critical role in delivering carbon removals so the UK can meet its binding engineered greenhouse gas removal target.

Drax is currently exploring the roles the Track-1 Expansion and Track-2 CCS cluster sequencing can play in supporting the transition to BECCS at the Selby site. Power-BECCS remains eligible to participate in either process.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:  

About research:

The link to the report can be found here.

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax:

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:
The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax Foundation funds bursary to support underrepresented young people into engineering

5 October 2023

News

The EDI bursary scheme has been established to support schools, with high proportions of young people from groups underrepresented in engineering, to overcome the barriers limiting pupil’s participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) activities with the ultimate goal of increasing the diversity of young people choosing a future in engineering.

The new Drax funding will help schools across the UK to participate in exciting STEM activities, including EngineeringUK’s Big Bang at School programme. Big Bang at School brings the world of STEM straight to the classroom, encouraging young people to get inspired about what a career could look like as an engineer or scientist. From hands-on workshops to spectacular shows, Big Bang at School allows young people to learn while having fun.

The Foundation is a key part of Drax’s community strategy, which is focused on ensuring that the business delivers a positive impact in the communities where it operates. Part of the work of the Foundation is providing funding for activities that enable people to develop STEM skills.

The new funding for the EDI bursary will be directed toward schools in regions where Drax operates in the UK including Selby, Oban, Dumfries and Galloway. Schools can apply for the funding through the EngineeringUK website.

Shona King, Head of Community at Drax Group, said:

“EngineeringUK is doing fantastic work in supporting more young people, and particularly those from diverse backgrounds, to become interested in engineering and pursue a career in the profession. We are delighted to be providing more funding to their EDI bursary scheme which will enable more school pupils to participate in STEM activities in the areas where we operate.

“The Drax Foundation is committed to giving back to its communities, it’s important to us to help children develop the skills, particularly in STEM, that can help solve challenges like climate change and develop and deploy new technologies like carbon removals.”

Susi Farnworth, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), at EngineeringUK, said:

“We’re delighted the Drax Foundation are supporting us with rolling-out our much-loved Big Bang at School programme to more schools around the country. Their donation will help to encourage hundreds more young people, from all backgrounds, to develop a passion for STEM and to consider engineering and technology as a career option.”

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website energy.drax.com

To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community

On pawtrol: Sparky the Robodog enhances safety at UK’s largest renewable power station

27 September 2023

News

The robodog has joined Drax’s Condition Based Maintenance team to spot potential failures on the plant before they happen. The bright yellow dog is fitted with a camera which enables it to conduct critical visual and thermal inspections on equipment such as hot boilers while its human controllers are kept safe away from the equipment.

As Sparky gets familiar with the plant, he will be programmed to follow tailored routes around the site. This will enable him to operate autonomously, enhancing efficiency even further.

Ensuring the safety, health, and wellbeing of people on site is the company’s top priority. Drax’s investment in Sparky is part of a wider drive to improve safety standards across the company’s global operations.

Richard Barber, Maintenance Systems Lead Engineer, said: “A robotic dog might not be what you have in mind when you think about safety, but Sparky is a real game changer for us. The technology enables our team to collect better information about our equipment, while also keeping our colleagues out of harm’s way.

“Its optical panoramic camera allows us to zoom in-depth on equipment and it is fitted with a thermal infrared camera, which means we can see any hot spot or unusual thermal anomalies on the machinery. We want to prevent faults from happening, not simply repair them when they occur. With Sparky on patrol at the power station, we will be able to do just that.”

Sparky will have plenty of room to roam around, with Drax Power Station being one of the country’s largest industrial sites. The plant near Selby has four operational power generating units, each as high as a 15-storey office block, a main chimney nearly as tall as the London Shard, and more than 1,800 miles of steel tubing, enough to stretch from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again.

The four-legged friend is the brainchild of Boston Dynamics, an American engineering and robotics design company which started as a spin-off from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Sparky is part of the Spot pedigree of robodogs from the firm.

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax Foundation funds new £150k grant to help schools become more energy efficient

19 September 2023

News

The new funding will enable Bath-based Energy Sparks to ensure that up to 240 schools across the UK have free access to its online energy management tool, education programme and support services. This includes schools in the areas of the country where Drax Group operates: Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, East of England and Scotland.

The charity currently works with more than 1,000 UK schools to help them reduce their energy use and carbon footprint.

Shona King, Head of Community at Drax Group, said:

“We are proud that this new grant will help Energy Sparks engage many more schools and pupils across the UK in reducing their energy use and costs as well as fighting climate change. Alongside our existing grant funding for LED lighting and solar panels, we are excited to bring Energy Sparks’ energy analysis tool and education programme to more schools in and around the communities where we operate.

“It’s important to us to help children start thinking about saving energy and reducing their carbon footprint from a young age as these issues are going to be increasingly important for them in the future.”

Dr Claudia Towner, CEO and Programme Director at Energy Sparks, said:

“We are delighted to receive this funding from the Drax Foundation, it means we can reach even more schools and pupils, and remove financial barriers to ongoing engagement for some of the existing schools using our services.

“Our work equips children and young people with the knowledge, skills, and tools to take measurable action in their school and wider community to reduce carbon emissions. We also enable school leaders, staff and communities to better understand and reduce their school’s energy consumption, save money and introduce wider measures to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Energy Sparks was founded in 2020 and, in the last year, through Energy Sparks’ tools, the average primary school it works with has saved at least £3,000 in energy costs and 12.8 tonnes of CO2, additionally, the average secondary school has saved at least £12,000 and 48 tonnes of CO2.

Energy Sparks’ education activities encourage pupils to learn about climate change and why reducing carbon emissions is important, investigating energy use around the school site, taking action to reduce energy use and spreading the energy saving and carbon reduction message across their wider school community.

Energy Sparks’ online tool presents bespoke analysis of the energy data with suggestions of actions the school community could take to save energy and reduce the school’s carbon emissions.

This new funding is drawn from a pot of £1.5m that Drax Foundation unveiled earlier this year for UK schools to install energy-efficient LED lights and solar panels, and deliver energy saving monitoring and education.

ENDS

 Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website energy.drax.com

To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community

‘Renewable energy apprentices’ kickstart their careers at Drax

7 September 2023

News

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

The four-year programme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain expertise working alongside the world-class engineers at the plant. Drax Power Station has been transformed over the last decade as part of Europe’s largest decarbonisation project, swapping coal to generate renewable electricity using sustainable biomass.

Drax has ambitious plans to go even further in the years ahead, aiming to become carbon negative by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. Its plans would see the site capture up to 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Sean Barry, Head of Decommissioning and BECCS Operations, said:

“It was fantastic to welcome our new group of apprentices to Drax Power Station. Providing these young people with the skills required for a successful career in engineering is not only essential to the success of our business, but it is also an incredibly rewarding part of what we do.

“Giving our apprentices the opportunity to work on the cutting-edge, environmental technologies of the future will ensure we’re nurturing our in-house talent and creating opportunities for people here in Yorkshire to lead the green energy transition to net zero.”

Thomas Goulden, aged 18, from Brayton said:

“This is such an exciting opportunity to develop my engineering future with Drax. It will give me a real sense of pride and ownership to contribute to Drax’s ambition to become a carbon negative company by the year 2030, and to play a part in this leading-edge sustainable technology.

“The opportunity will allow me to fulfil my engineering motivations and give me valuable hands-on experience. A huge appeal for me is to learn via feedback from experienced engineers, so I can continually develop, gain confidence as I progress.”

Mason Thomas, aged 16, from Thorne, said:

“This apprenticeship means a great deal to me due to the fact the world needs change and Drax are currently driving this. This makes me proud to be a part of the business and motivates me to work towards these amazing standards that the team here at Drax have set.”

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

  • Sam Howdle – Technical Apprentice – 17
  • Lewis Bennett – Technical Apprentice – 16
  • Harvey Clough – Technical Apprentice – 16
  • Jak Bennett – Technical Apprentice – 16
  • Thomas Goulden – Technical Apprentice – 18
  • Mason Thomas – Technical Apprentice – 16

In addition to engineering roles, Drax also offers apprenticeships in business support areas such as HR, IT, and facilities departments.

ENDS

Photo Caption:

  • Drax apprentice engineers and Sean Barry, Head of Decommissioning and BECCS Operations at Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire.

Media contacts:

Sloan Woods
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07821665493

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax acquires leading UK EV charge point installer BMM Energy Solutions

1 September 2023

News

The deal completed on 31 August 2023 and BMM is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Drax Group PLC.

BMM, who specialise in the installation and maintenance of electric vehicle (EV) charge points, have been Drax’s primary installation partner since 2018. Together the companies have electrified the fleets of businesses including FI Real Estate, SES Water and Travis Perkins.

The acquisition of BMM will strengthen Drax’s end-to-end charging proposition to UK businesses as well as demonstrating its commitment to supporting them achieve their Net Zero ambitions.

BMM was founded in 2013 by Terry and Mark Mohammed and has enjoyed significant growth to become one of the UK’s leading EV charge point installation firms. To date, BMM has installed over 13 thousand EV charge points.

Adam Hall, Drax and Terry Mohammed, BMM Energy Solutions

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

“Businesses who are serious about sustainability need to electrify their fleet and offer on-site charging for employees. The acquisition of BMM means we now offer a complete end-to-end journey – from vehicle suitability assessments through to charge point installation, operation and maintenance. We’re looking forward to welcoming the BMM team to Drax and working together to grow the combined business.”

Terry Mohammed, CEO at BMM Energy Solutions, said:

“We’re excited about joining Drax, and this deal is the next great step in our growth journey. Integrating our installation and maintenance skills into the business will ensure that Drax’s clients can benefit for years to come.”

BMM’s management and staff will join the Drax team and continue to operate from BMM’s existing sites in the UK – Airdrie, Scotland and Gatwick, South East England. Drax and BMM have plans to look at opening other locations in the future to effectively service the evolving needs of their customers.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website energy.drax.com

To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community

Families make a splash at water themed summer events at Drax’s Skylark Centre

22 August 2023

News

The events, occurring every Wednesday and Thursday, have been attend by hundreds of local families. The final sessions will occur on the 23rd and 24th of August and the 30th and 31st.

Parents and children have been able to participate in a variety of fun activities run by Drax’s Skylark Centre visitors team including making bubble art, constructing water runs, making foil boats, bubble wands, woodland walks, water quizzes and ‘sink or float’ experiments with fruits and vegetables.

The Skylark Centre hosts many free events throughout the year for the local community and the annual summer programme is a key part of Drax Power Station’s community calendar.

The nature reserve was developed by Drax in the early 1970s, it is now home to a variety of wildlife and is also a valuable educational resource for schools, colleges and local nature groups.

Nick Robinson, Community and Education Team Leader at Drax Power Station, said:

“The summer family events at the Skylark Centre are an annual highlight for our team. It is fantastic to see parents and children of all ages making a splash participating in our water themed activities and enjoying the natural surrounds of the centre. There will be plenty more great events coming up in the next few months, including Halloween and Christmas, and we look forward to seeing everyone again then.”

ENDS

Pic caption 1: Sink or float experiment lead by education officer Leigh Hogan, pictured with Kirsty Swales and son Ted (7).

Pic caption 2: Freyja Waddington (4) makes some blow art.

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

Drax’s around 3,000 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com

Power generation:

Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.

Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.

Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.

Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website energy.drax.com

To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community