Public examination of Drax Repower plan closes
Archives: Press Release
New tech to tackle climate change could fuel UK economy post-Brexit
Speaking at the ‘Fuelling an economy fit for the future’ panel event at the British Chambers of Commerce annual conference in London on Thursday March 28, Mr Gardiner said that we can create the zero-carbon economy that provides sustainable jobs and new opportunities in areas that have suffered industrial decline, whilst at the same time meeting our climate change objectives.
Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group. Click to view high resolution photo.
Mr Gardiner said:
“Climate change is the greatest challenge the world now faces – but it is also creating major new investment and job opportunities, which could be transformational after Brexit.
“Globally, by 2030, estimates show that the economic opportunity from creating a zero-carbon economy is upwards of £20 trillion – and the UK is ideally placed to drive the innovation required to take advantage of this.
“We’re already leading the world when it comes to decarbonising power generation – we’ve done more than any other country to remove coal from the grid. We must continue to drive innovation, to deliver further social, economic and environmental benefits through new technologies like carbon capture and storage, smart meters and electric vehicles.”
Drax has converted two thirds of the UK’s biggest power station at Drax in North Yorkshire from coal to use sustainable biomass, making it the biggest decarbonisation project in Europe – delivering carbon savings of more than 80%.
Wood pellet storage dome at Drax Power Station (centre) and chimney (left). A BECCS pilot is underway to show that 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions could be captured, stored or re-used. Click to view high resolution photo.
It now has ambitions to become the world’s first negative emissions power station by using bioenergy carbon capture and storage technology. Its BECCS pilot plant is the world’s first to capture carbon dioxide from a 100% biomass feedstock. If it can be scaled up, the power produced could help reduce the harmful gases accumulating in the atmosphere which cause climate change.
Humber Bridge
Mr Gardiner explained that Drax is working with the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, and other interested parties to explore the role carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) can play in turning the Humber Estuary into the world’s first ‘net-zero-carbon cluster’ by 2040.
“The Humber is strategically important – it is the most carbon intensive industrial cluster in the UK. The deployment of a new technology like CCUS could be most transformational there – reducing carbon emissions, extending the life of carbon intensive businesses, protecting jobs and creating growth,” Mr Gardiner explained.
“New technologies are already transforming the way we live and work – they are changing businesses and communities, and have the potential to improve everyone’s quality of life as well as Britain’s ability to compete in a global economy.
We are funding a PhD at Sheffield University — customer interaction with vehicle to grid systems using smart technology.
“Electricity demand could increase by around 25% compared to today, as households and businesses switch to electric vehicles and electric heating. We need to ensure that this electric revolution is powered by clean, green electricity that provides a more sustainable economy for future generations.”
Drax Group is also the UK’s biggest supplier of renewable electricity to businesses through Haven Power and Opus Energy, its B2B energy supply businesses.
It supplies electricity to 396,000 business premises and is looking at ways in which batteries, smart technologies and EVs can deliver economic benefits for its customers.
Media contact
Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888
Editor’s Notes
- Will Gardiner is speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce annual conference panel event at 11.40am on Thursday March 28, 2019, titled: “Fuelling an economy fit for the future’.
- The British Chambers of Commerce includes 53 accredited Chambers which make up its network representing tens of thousands of businesses of all shapes and sizes, which employ almost six million people across the UK.
- The New Climate Economy report by The Global Commission on the Climate and Economy states that analysis showed that ‘bold action could yield a direct economic gain of US$26 trillion through to 2030 compared with business-as-usual. And this is likely to be a conservative estimate’.
- BECCS is a vital technology in the fight against climate change. The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have estimated that BECCS could enable the UK to capture approximately 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2050 – around half of the remaining carbon in the economy that we will need to capture to become ‘net zero’.
- Power generation with BECCS could also provide essential system services to the UK power grid, meaning a more secure, cost-effective electricity system.
- The Humber is ideally located for accessing offshore stores for carbon dioxide in the North Sea such as the Endurance field, which is roughly 60 miles off the coast.
- AS well as working with the Humber LEP Drax is in discussions with the BBPA about the possibility of its members using the carbon captured to help keep the fizz in the drinks industry and it is looking at how its CO2 could be used in the creation of synthetic fuels.
- Drax Power Station is the largest renewable power generator in the country – producing enough renewable electricity for more than four million households.
- The conversion of two thirds of the power station from coal to use sustainable biomass has played an important role in enabling the UK’s power system to decarbonise faster than any other in the world, whilst maintaining secure supplies for the millions of homes and businesses which rely on it.
- More renewables, like wind and solar, are crucial for reducing carbon emissions and helping us to meet our climate targets – but flexible, lower carbon generation, is also vital for controlling the costs of maintaining a stable, low carbon power system.
- The IPCC recognised in its special report last year that to meet our climate change targets, up to 85% of global power generation needs to come from renewables by 2050. This means the remainder will have to be provided by flexible sources, which can support the system and help to keep costs down – such as biomass, hydro, pumped storage as well as high efficiency gas.
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/us
New rapid response gas power station approved in Bedfordshire
Environmental Permit issued for Abergelli Power
The permit gives Drax licence to operate its proposed Abergelli Power gas project, subject to complying with the relevant national and European directives that set the requirements for environmental protection.
The decision was reached following consultation with the public and relevant stakeholders and is another step forward in the development of the project.
A separate decision to grant planning permission to the project is expected later this year.
Further details on the Environmental Permit granted to the project can be found on NRW’s website.
Award-winning tourist attraction announces free educational tours
UK Government Minister, Lord Duncan of Springbank, visited the award-winning tourist attraction and pledged his support for the initiative.
The announcement follows Drax Group’s acquisition of Cruachan power station at the end of 2018 as part of a £702 million deal and is part of the company’s efforts to promote education and skills – particularly STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) subjects.
Lord Duncan toured the site, which welcomes around 50,000 visitors every year, learning about Cruachan Power Station and how the site can power the equivalent of more than 90,000 homes at times of peak electricity demand.
Constructed between 1959 and 1965, it was the first power station of its kind and size anywhere in the world. Just a short distance from Oban, the site is also a haven for wildlife, with swallows, ospreys, pine martens and golden eagles all calling the mountain home.
UK Government Minister Lord Duncan said:
“As well as being a working power station, Cruachan is a spectacular tourist attraction. I first visited the dam as a school pupil, and remember being in awe of the engineering achievement. I therefore welcome the fact that pupils and students are being given the opportunity to see this great example of first-class engineering free of charge.
“Renewable energy is vital for all our futures and Cruachan’s commitment to educating young people about its important role in power generation and as a home to nature is to be applauded.”
Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO said:
“We are delighted to announce that we will now be offering free tours for all schools and higher education establishments during term time, as part of our commitment to STEM learning.
“The tour really is an inspiring experience – we take visitors right inside the mountain to see the power station, including the turbine hall. We’re keen to share this feat of engineering with the next generation to inspire them, and offering free educational visits as we do at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire is the obvious next step.”
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 is open to all, serving soups, sandwiches and salads using produce grown from the visitor centre’s own herb garden.
To find out more about visiting Cruachan, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/.
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Tunnel to Cruachan Power Station
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Cruachan Visitor Centre
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- Turbine Hall from visitor viewing gallery, Cruachan Power Station
Media contacts:
Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177
About Cruachan
- To book a tour of the power station, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/pages/request_a_tour.aspx. Prices start from £2.50 for children.
- To find out more about group and educational bookings, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/pages/education_and_school_visits.aspx.
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/us
Carbon dioxide now being captured in first of its kind BECCS pilot
- The first carbon dioxide has been captured using C-Capture technology at Drax Power Station in their innovative bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot
- This moves Britain further ahead in the race to develop BECCS technologies – essential in the fight against climate change
- The project could enable Drax to become the world’s first negative emissions power station – reducing harmful greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere
The demonstration plant at the power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, is using innovative technology, developed by Leeds-based C-Capture, to capture a tonne of CO2 a day, during the pilot.
It is the first-time carbon dioxide has been captured from the combustion of a 100% biomass feedstock anywhere in the world.
If the BECCS pilot can be scaled up to deliver negative emissions, Drax Power Station would be helping to remove the gases that cause global warning from the atmosphere at the same time as electricity is produced.
Engineers began commissioning the pilot plant in November with the first carbon now being captured, proving that the proprietary solvent developed by C-Capture can be used to isolate the carbon dioxide from the flue gases released when biomass is used to generate electricity.
Data being obtained about the CO2 capture process will continue to be analysed throughout the pilot to fully understand the potential of the technology and how it could be scaled up at Drax. Part of this will include identifying and developing ways to store and use the carbon dioxide being captured.
Drax has invested £400,000 in the pilot, which could be the first of several projects undertaken at the power station to deliver a rapid, lower cost demonstration of BECCS.
Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:
“Proving that this innovative carbon capture technology works is an exciting development and another important milestone in our BECCS project. Climate change affects us all so this is of real significance – not just for us at Drax, but also for the UK and the rest of the world.
“The successful deployment of BECCS requires us to identify ways in which the carbon dioxide we’re now capturing can be stored or used in other processes and we’re working with the government and other businesses on that.
“We’re focused on working together to make the progress required for us to tackle climate change and enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future.”
The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have estimated that BECCS could enable us to capture 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2050 – approximately half the nation’s emissions target.
The government’s Clean Growth Strategy identified BECCS as one of several greenhouse gas removal technologies that could remove emissions from the atmosphere and help achieve long term decarbonisation.
Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry, said:
“This innovative technology has the potential to make huge strides in our efforts to tackle climate change while kick-starting an entirely new cutting-edge industry in the UK. World-firsts like this will help us to realise our ambition of having a first operational plant by the mid-2020s as we continue to seize the opportunities of moving to a greener, cleaner economy – a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”
Chris Rayner, founder of C-Capture and Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Leeds, said:
“This represents a major milestone on the road to achieving negative emissions through BECCS, which is going to be so important in the future. To see our technology working in a real environment like Drax is a tribute to the fantastic team of chemists and engineers who work on the project.”
Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering at C-Capture added:
“Working at this scale is really where the engineering gets interesting. The challenge now is to get all the information we need to design and build a capture plant 10,000 times bigger. It’s only really when we get to those sorts of scales that we can start to have an impact on the climate.”
Drax Power Station became the largest decarbonisation project in Europe by upgrading two thirds of its generating units to use biomass instead of coal. As part of the BECCS pilot, it will examine options for a similar re-purposing of existing infrastructure to deliver more carbon savings.
Work has already been undertaken to ensure the solvent C-Capture has developed is compatible with the biomass flue gas at Drax Power Station. This was completed last summer along with a lab-scale study into the feasibility of re-utilising the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) absorbers at the power station.
FGD equipment is vital for reducing sulphur emissions from coal, but it is no longer required to control sulphur on four of the generating units at Drax that have been upgraded to use biomass, because the wood pellets used produce minimal levels of sulphur.
C-Capture is a spin-out from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, established through funding from IP Group Plc.
ENDS
Media contacts
Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media and PR
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 670 888
Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 677 177
Photo
Download a high resolution photo.
Caption: L-R Chris Rayner, founder of C-Capture , Drax Power CEO Andy Koss, Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering at C-Capture, Carl Clayton, Drax Research and Innovation Engineer at the Drax BECCS plant, which has successfully captured carbon
Animation
Editor’s Notes
- Drax Power Station is the single largest user of sustainable biomass for power in the world – around 70% of the electricity it produces is renewable, enough to power four million households.
- Biomass, such as sustainably sourced compressed wood pellets, is a renewable fuel – the CO2 captured when it grew is equal to the emissions it releases when used to generate electricity so it does not contribute new carbon to the biosphere. When coupled with CCS, the overall process of biomass electricity generation removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than it releases.
- The government’s Clean Growth Strategy identified ‘sustainable biomass power stations used in tandem with CCUS technology’ as a potential route to achieving long-term decarbonisation between now and 2050.
- Drax is in discussions with the British Beer and Pub Association to see if it could help keep the fizz in the drinks industry as part of its efforts to ensure the carbon captured during the BECCS pilot project is used in another process or industry.
- There are other markets which Drax expects to provide significant opportunities such as using the CO2 captured in the creation of synthetic fuels.
- Drax is also working with the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, CATCH and other interested parties to explore the role CCUS can play in turning the Humber Estuary into the world’s first ‘net-zero- carbon cluster by 2040.
- It has plans to Repower its two remaining coal generating units to use high efficiency, flexible gas. By reusing some of its existing infrastructure, including the grid connection and cooling towers, the development will be cost effective and very competitive. It could also enable Drax to stop using coal as soon as 2023, well ahead of the government’s 2025 deadline, reducing its emissions whilst playing a vital role in supporting the system as more renewables come online.
- C-Capture is a spin out from the Chemistry Department at Leeds University and has attracted support from IP Group, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund and the CO2 Capture Project for CO2 capture technology, which has potential in a range of areas including biogas upgrading, natural gas sweetening and hydrogen production.
- The government has provided £2.2 million in support to C-Capture to develop the carbon capture technology.
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/us
About C-Capture
C-Capture designs world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal. It has patented a unique, solvent-based technology which offers a safe, low-cost way to remove carbon dioxide from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion for positive environmental benefit. In May 2018 C-Capture announced a partnership with Drax Group to run a pilot of its technology at the North Yorkshire power station, which will see carbon dioxide captured from biomass used in power generation, and show how C-Capture’s technology can be used as part of a process to remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (BECCS). C-Capture is proud of the potential its technology offers to mitigate climate change as part of the growing market for environmentally-conscious power generation and industrial processes. The company was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University, and is backed by IP Group, Drax and BP Ventures. IP Group was set up with a mission to evolve great ideas, mainly from partner universities, into world-changing businesses.
https://twitter.com/c_captureco2
About the University of Leeds
The University of Leeds has created more than 100 spin-out companies, with a market capitalisation in excess of £500 million. Seven of these spin-out companies are market listed on AIM, which is more than any other university in the UK. The University is also home to the EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Bioenergy, and has extensive experience in energy research through the interdisciplinary Energy Leeds initiative.
The University is preparing to launch its £40m Nexus innovation and enterprise centre later this year. Nexus will provide business and industry with easy access to world-leading academic experts and their ground-breaking research, high quality facilities and cutting edge equipment at the University. nexusleeds.co.uk
For more information visit www.leeds.ac.uk
C-Capture raises £3.5m in funding round led by BP, Drax and IP Group
The funding strongly underlines the credibility of C-Capture’s technology as the company positions itself to help mitigate climate change by providing systems that remove carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and cement, steel and aluminium facilities.
C-Capture is currently conducting a demonstration project at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, which will remove carbon dioxide from emissions produced by generating electricity from sustainable biomass. The project, which is the first of its kind in Europe, is highly significant because it has the capacity to produce negative emissions, whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored.
C-Capture will use the new funding to further develop the technology, support larger pilot projects in other industries, and increase marketing globally. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely-regarded as an essential component of strategies to combat climate change – both by removing carbon dioxide from processes that use fossil fuels and producing negative carbon dioxide emissions from power generation that uses biomass. The UK government is committed to developing and deploying CCS technology to cut emissions.
Tristan Fischer, chairman of C-Capture, said:
“We’re delighted that Drax, IP Group and now BP have all seen that our unique technology has the potential to be applied at scale around the world as part of the global drive to tackle climate change. We’re all very excited about the pilot project with Drax, and also that this new funding will help to develop our technology for use across a range of industries. We are looking carefully at the broader market for our carbon capture technology, which includes not just power generation but also the production of cement, steel and aluminium, as well as biogas, across a range of territories including India and China.”
C-Capture’s technology uses new proprietary solvents to remove carbon dioxide, offering a safer and less expensive alternative to current technologies based on the use of amines. It provides a means to make the removal of carbon dioxide significantly more economic from a range of large- scale processes, such as power generation from coal, gas and biomass, and the production of cement, steel, and aluminium. C-Capture, based in Leeds, was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University with funding from IP Group and has raised over £2.2m from the UK government and £1.7m from IP Group so far to develop its technology.
Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group, said:
“At Drax we are focused on enabling a zero-carbon, lower-cost energy future, and want to take advantage of the environmental and business opportunities created by a growing net zero carbon economy. The innovative technology C-Capture has developed and is piloting at Drax Power Station is putting the UK on the map when it comes to carbon capture and global efforts to tackle climate change. This investment gives us a long-term commercial agreement to work together with them.
“We’re confident that our bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project will be successful, and if we scale it up, it could enable Drax to become the world’s first negative emissions power station. This significant milestone means the power we produce would help to reduce the carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere.”
David Eyton, BP’s group head of technology said:
“BP believes carbon capture, use and storage has a key role to play in reducing emissions, in line with global climate ambitions. C-Capture’s technology could reduce the cost of capturing carbon dioxide. Our investment in C-Capture supports our ambition to advance the energy transition, and we look forward to working with them to explore opportunities to trial their technology.”
Ben Murphy, Cleantech Investment Manager at IP Group plc, said:
“C-Capture provides new, world- leading technology for capturing carbon dioxide from large-scale emissions. It has great potential to address climate change by facilitating negative emissions. This funding round further shows IP Group’s ability to build world-changing companies on the back of cutting-edge science. BP and Drax are excellent partners to work with as C-Capture looks to take its technology to global markets.”
Notes to editors
The UK’s first carbon capture, usage and storage project could be operational from the mid 2020s under a government action plan – press release via link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-to-enable-first-uk-carbon-capture-project-from-the-mid- 2020s-announced-at-world-first-summit
About C-Capture:
C-Capture designs world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal. It has patented a unique, solvent-based technology which offers a safe, low-cost way to remove carbon dioxide from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion for positive environmental benefit. In May 2018 C-Capture announced a partnership with Drax Group to run a pilot of its technology at the North Yorkshire power station, which will see carbon dioxide captured from biomass used in power generation, and show how C-Capture’s technology can be used as part of a process to remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (BECCS). C-Capture is proud of the potential its technology offers to mitigate climate change as part of the growing market for environmentally-conscious power generation and industrial processes. The company was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University, and is backed by IP Group, Drax and BP Ventures. IP Group was set up with a mission to evolve great ideas, mainly from partner universities, into world- changing businesses.
For further information about C-Capture or interview requests, please contact:
John Elliott: 020 7324 0492 / 07894 709 826 / [email protected]
Jack Shelley: 020 7549 0743 / 07917 886576 / [email protected]
About BP Ventures:
BP Ventures identifies and invests in private, high growth, potentially game-changing technology companies, accelerating cutting-edge innovations across the entire energy spectrum. Since 2006, BP Ventures has invested over $450m in technology companies across more than 40 entities with more than 200 co-investors.
BP Ventures focuses on connecting and growing new energy business, focused on our core upstream, downstream and alternative energy businesses. In addition, it makes strategic equity investments in advanced mobility, low carbon and digital. For more information visit www.bp.com/ventures
For further information about BP Ventures, please contact:
BP Group press office: +44 20 7496 4076, [email protected]
Kekst CNC: +44 20 3219 8800, [email protected]
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
- Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME)
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 drax.com
For further information about Drax, please contact:
Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 677 177
Matt Willey
Group Director of External Affairs
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7711 376 087
About IP Group
IP Group is a leading intellectual property commercialisation company which focuses on evolving great ideas, mainly from its partner universities, into world-changing businesses. The Group has pioneered a unique approach to developing these ideas and the resulting businesses by providing access to business building expertise, capital (through its 100%-owned FCA-authorised subsidiaries IP Capital and Parkwalk Advisors), networks, recruitment and business support. IP Group has a strong track record of success and its portfolio comprises holdings in early-stage to mature businesses across life sciences and technology. IP Group is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the code IPO.
Pedal power station
Staff at the UK’s biggest power station took to unique exercise bikes to raise more than a thousand pounds in an afternoon for a heart charity – making healthy fruit drinks as they pedalled.
The fund-raising challenge at Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, saw dozens of people at the site riding two specially-designed smoothie bikes, each pedalling furiously for 30 seconds to set the best time on the day.
Cheered on by colleagues, each half-minute burst produced a healthy fruit smoothie via a mixer fitted to the front of the bike for the event, which raised money for the British Heart Foundation, one of four charities which Drax staff have chosen to support in 2019.
Each smoothie cyclist, including Chief Executive Andy Koss, had 30 seconds to pedal as far as possible on a digital timer and distance recorder – before enjoying the refreshing strawberry, mango or peach smoothie drink they had created through their efforts.
In total, the team, most of whom dressed in red for the day, raised £1,019 for the charity, which also included money raised from a hamper raffle and other donations on the day from generous non-cyclists.
Experts from the British Heart Foundation were also on site throughout the day in the power station’s canteen area to give free health and heart checks to members of the Drax team.
The event was the first of a number of fundraising initiatives this year at the power station – the largest decarbonisation project in Europe – where the team raised funds for over 50 different charities in 2018.
Andy Koss, who cycled 0.38 miles in his 30 seconds, said:
“It’s great to see so many of the team having a go and raising money for a great cause, which ultimately is what this is all about. The event has been a lot of fun, and it’s an excellent start to 2019’s fundraising initiatives.”
Vicky Bullivant, Group Head of Sustainable Business added,
“We’re really proud of the money we’ve been able to raise in previous years but this year, our team have said they want to do even more and this is the first chance to take on that challenge.
“The British Heart Foundation is a great cause and the smoothie bike challenge was a great way to help people stay healthy and have a little fun as well during their day. We’re all already looking forward to the next challenge.”
The team at Drax have chosen four charities to support during 2019, with the British Heart Foundation joined by Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Support and The Alzheimer’s Society.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888
Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177
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/us
Award-winning tourist attraction re-opens to the public for 2019
From 4thFebruary, the visitor centre and pumped storage hydroelectric power station, located within the stunning mountain of Ben Cruachan will be open again for visits and guided tours throughout the rest of the year.
Just a short distance from Oban, a huge cavern within the mountain houses Cruachan Power Station’s turbines, which can power the equivalent of more than 90,000 homes at times of peak electricity demand.
Constructed between 1959 and 1965, it was the first power station of its kind and size anywhere in the world.
The site, which welcomes around 50,000 visitors every year, is also a haven for wildlife, with swallows, ospreys, pine martens and golden eagles all calling the mountain home.
The contrast between this feat of engineering and the striking natural beauty of the mountain has Cruachan an enduringly popular tourist destination, since the visitor centre’s opening in 1997.
Sarah Cameron, Cruachan Visitor Centre Manager said:
“We are delighted to reopen for 2019, and encourage visitors to the area and locals to come along and find out more about the power station.
“The tour really is unlike any other – we take visitors inside the mountain to see the power station, and the surrounding area boasts some incredible scenery. Our visitor centre is free to all and our Hollow Mountain café welcomes visitors for a cup of tea and a homemade scone.
“We have families, schools, coach parties and universities come through our doors – all are welcome, and the team makes sure that everyone is catered for. We’re incredibly proud of our five-star rating from Visit Scotland, and we’d love everyone to come and see the visitor centre, power station and appreciate the beautiful location for themselves.”
The Visitor Centre tells visitors about the legend of Ben Cruachan, the story of the construction of the power station and just how such a feat of engineering was achieved.
It is the first time the visitor centre has opened since Drax Group acquired Cruachan power station at the end of 2018 as part of a £702 million deal. Some of the displays have been given a refresh and the centre’s staff are looking forward to showing visitors around.
The visitor centre is open from 09:15am to 03:45pm in winter and 09:15pm to 04:45pm in summer, Monday to Friday. The Hollow Mountain café is open to all, serving soups, sandwiches and salads using produce grown from the visitor centre’s own herb garden.
To find out more about visiting Cruachan, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177
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/us
