Selby, Yorkshire: Drax is offering the chance to sit with the driver in the cab of a real biomass train on its journey to deliver compressed wood pellets from one of its four ports to the UK’s largest power station.
The winner of the first prize in the competition will also receive a set of two limited edition Hornby biomass wagons presented by Andy Koss, Chief Executive of Drax Power, and will be taken on a VIP tour of the biomass unloading facilities. Three runner up winners will each receive the limited edition Hornby biomass wagon set.
Drax processes and compresses low grade wood into small high-density pellets, turning humans’ oldest renewable energy source into a fuel that is modern and highly efficient. The majority of the compressed pellets are imported from the huge working forests of North America which are expanding year on year. Drax’s new energy source is made from the residues and thinnings left from industries that have no use for them.
Our specially designed trains move millions of small pellets from four UK ports – Hull, Immingham, Liverpool and Tyne – to our power station with a minimal cost and environmental impact. Hornby has released two special edition model wagons in ‘OO’ gage. They have been commissioned by Drax and only 2,000 have been produced. The wagons are currently available for pre-order here, and 10% of all profits received will be donated to the Railway Benefit Fund.
To enter the competition, email [email protected] with your name, age, phone number, postal address, and answer to this question:
Which four UK ports do Drax biomass trains pick up compressed wood pellets from before travelling to Drax Power station to generate 4% of the UK’s electricity?
The competition closing date is Friday, 12th February and the winners will be chosen the following week.
Please see below for competition terms and conditions before entering.
The largest ever rail freight wagons in the UK, our biomass wagons, were designed by Lloyd’s Register Rail and manufactured by WH Davis. The current fleet of more than 200 wagons have travelled huge distances across the UK to help Drax move away from coal and become a predominantly biomass electricity generator, making it Europe’s largest decarbonisation project. The wagons are 30 per cent larger than any other rail freight wagon currently used in the UK, and are able to carry a biomass load weighing 71.6 tonnes.
Contact
Jennifer Davies
Press Officer
+44 1757 612084
[email protected]
Notes to Editors
Photos
High resolution photos of the special edition Hornby wagons and the real biomass trains can be downloaded at: www.drax.com/us/media
Videos
Films and animations explaining our transformation from coal to renewable biomass can be viewed on YouTube and downloaded via Vimeo.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3G6XjBeWTx09LQtUT2oq2Q
About the special edition Hornby wagons
Hornby has released 2,000 special edition wagons. Two models are available: a hopper with a ‘swoosh’ paint design (Cat No. R6723) and another in the Powering Tomorrow scheme (R6724). To pre-order the wagons, please click here
About Drax
Drax Group plc is an innovative energy company that owns and operates the UK’s largest power station in Selby, North Yorkshire, typically providing some 8% of the UK’s electricity. A vital strategic asset, the Group has transformed itself into a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator through its use of innovative technology and sustainably sourced wood pellets. The largest decarbonisation project in Europe is underway to provide the UK with cost effective, low carbon, and reliable renewable power.
The Group employs around 1,400 people and also includes:
Drax Biomass, based in the US focused on the self-supply of some of its sustainable biomass requirements.
Haven Power, the Group’s retail arm, providing business electricity contracts that are simple, flexible and designed to customers specific requirements.
Billington Bioenergy, is one of the leading distributors of wood pellets for sustainable heating in the UK.
For more information visit www.drax.com/us
About the Railway Benefit Fund
The RBF supports current and former railway staff and their dependants when they need help through illness, injury, bereavement, or adversity. Nobody can predict the future, and offering that peace of mind within your industry is a charity that may be able to help you.
The charity’s grants and support amounted to almost £362,130 in 2013, and supported over 500 people.
The charity has been helping railway people for over 150 years, improving the quality of life of current and former railway people in the UK through the provision of customised support. Assistance is provided in many forms, on a short or long term basis and is specifically tailored to an individual’s situation.
For more information please visit https://www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/
Competition Terms & Conditions
Qualifying Entrants
- Entry is open to residents of the United Kingdom who are 18+ years old. Proof of identity and age may be required
- Employees of Drax Group plc and their immediate families are not eligible to enter the competition
- For safety reasons, entrants must be able bodied in order to ride in the cab of the biomass train
- No purchase is required for the competition
- To enter, please submit your answer to the competition question above, along with your name, age, phone number and postal address to [email protected] by Friday 12th February
- Only one entry is allowed per person. Multiple entries will be disregarded
Competition winners
- All prize winners will be chosen at random the week commencing Monday 15thFebruary 2016
- First prize is to sit in the cab with the driver of a real biomass train along the journey of port to Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire. In addition, the winner will also receive a set of limited edition Hornby biomass wagons presented by Andy Koss, Chief Executive of Drax Power, and will be taken on a VIP tour of the biomass unloading facilities
- The winner will join the train along the journey of port to Drax Power Station – further details of which will be confirmed with the winner once chosen
- The three runner up winners will each receive a set of limited edited Hornby biomass wagons
- The prizes are as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered
- The winner of the first prize and the three runners up agree to the use of their name, photograph and disclosure of county of residence relating to any post-winning publicity
- The winners will be contacted via phone and/or email
- If the winner(s) cannot be contacted, or are unable to comply with these terms and conditions, Drax reserves the right to draw new winners
- All four winners will be publically announced via Drax’s twitter account on the week commencing Monday 22nd February 2016
- For the winner of the first prize, travel will be arranged and paid for by Drax to the starting point of the biomass train journey (to be specified by Drax) and from Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire
Entry into the competition is deemed as acceptance of all terms and conditions
