Archives: Press Release

Local people to be consulted on plans for gas-fired power station

2 January 2018

Press releases

The proposed Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power station would produce up to 299 MW of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of about 150,000 homes.

It is intended to be able to be up and running quickly to provide back-up power to the National Grid during periods of peak demand, to support the growing number of renewable and low carbon energy sources.

As a rapid response and flexible power station it would not be operational all the time – it would be producing power for up to a maximum of 2,250 hours in a given year.

The development will contribute millions of pounds of investment into the local economy, create up to 15 full time skilled jobs once operational, and up to 150 jobs during the two-year construction period.

Local people were originally consulted on proposals for the power station in 2014, but the project was put on hold in 2015 due to market uncertainty. The project is now under the new ownership of the British energy company, Drax Group plc, and is once again being taken forward.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said: “As a result of what was learned during the consultation undertaken in 2014 and other studies, we have made a number of changes to the original proposals. For example, the cable for the electrical connection has been put underground instead of having an overhead line; we have selected an access route from the B4489 to the west of the site, and reduced the number of stacks from five to one.

“We are looking forward to sharing our latest plans at the public exhibitions next month and hearing what local people think about them before we finalise the scheme and submit a Development Consent Order application.”

Abergelli Power Limited is holding public consultation events from 7 February 2018 to 10 February 2018 at Lllangyfelach, Clydach, Tircoed and Felindre. Members of the project team will be on hand to discuss the proposals and consultation process.

The consultation will run from 16 January 2018 until 19 February 2018 and full information about the project, the public exhibitions and the preliminary findings of the environmental impact assessments will be available online on Abergelli Power here.

As the capacity of the power station is over 50 MW, the scheme is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, which means a Development Consent Order application will need to be submitted to the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who will make a decision on whether to give the plans the go ahead.

Subject to the public consultation, planning process and market conditions, the power station could be operational in 2022.

ENDS

For further information please contact Clare Jones on 07793382021 or email clare@grasshopper-comms.co.uk

Notes to the Editor:

About Drax

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Power Ltd, which operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, provides businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity and gas to businesses.

Drax Biomass, is based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

For more information visit www.drax.com/us

About the Project

Further information about the Development Consent Order application process can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website at https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/.

Dates of public exhibitions

  • 7th February 2018: 16.00 – 19.00 at Llangyfelach Church Hall, Swansea Road, Llangyfelach, Swansea SA5 7JA
  • 8th February 2018: 15.30 – 18.30 at Forge Fach Resource Centre, Hebron Road, Clydach, Swansea SA6 5EJ
  • 9th February 2018: 17.00 – 20.00 at Tircoed Village Hall, Y Cyswllt, Tircoed SA4 9QZ
  • 10th February 2018: 10.00 – 13.00 at Felindre Welfare Hall, Felindre, Swansea SA5 7NA

Great Britain’s lowest carbon Christmas

27 December 2017

Uncategorized
Decorative retro garland on silver christmas tree branch with wooden star against blue background

Great Britain’s fairy lights and roasted turkeys were powered by the cleanest electricity mix ever on Christmas day 2017 – rounding off a record breaking year for power generation in Britain.

According to analysis of Electric Insights data by researchers at Imperial College London, in collaboration with Drax, 2017 is on course to be the cleanest year for electricity generation.

Carbon emissions from power generation were just 142g/kWh on Christmas Day – more than 10% lower than on December 25 2016.

Gas generators provided over 30% of the required capacity and coal provided just 1.4% on Christmas Day – compared to 17.9% for gas and 7.1% for coal in 2016.

Roasted turkeys were powered by the greenest electricity mix ever in 2017

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London said: “This was achieved in spite of generation from renewables being lower than on Christmas Day last year; mainly due to the continued reduction in coal over this year, being swapped for gas power stations.”

The low carbon Christmas comes after a whole host of renewables records were broken throughout the year and with much less coal on the system, helping to reduce Britain’s carbon emissions by around half of what they were five years ago.

Dr Staffell explained: “The carbon intensity of Britain’s electricity halved between 2012 and 2016 and we think that by New Year the 2017 figure will be at least another 10% lower than last year’s record. This means the average British household produced 100 kg less CO2 this year than they did last year without having to lift a finger, all the changes are being made ‘behind the scenes’.”

Electric Insights data also shows that January 17 2017 was the ‘dirtiest’ day of the year, with carbon intensity reaching 398g CO2/kWh. Despite this, Britain’s carbon emissions have fallen sharply as renewables records were broken throughout the year.

Dr Staffell said: “Several real milestones were reached by renewable electricity throughout 2017 – we set a new record in March for renewable generation, which was then broken again in June.

“It helped that wind speeds were relatively high during the year, so wind farm output was up by around one third compared to last year. Also, electricity demand was a little lower, meaning that renewable output formed a bigger part of the mix.”

The records broken throughout the year include:

  • February was a record breaking month for biomass with 2.1GW produced from biomass generation
  • A new record for wind, solar, hydro and biomass power was made in the first three months of 2017, with 23.2% of Britain’s power coming from these technologies over the first quarter.
  • However, this record was then broken again in the next three months, with almost a quarter of the UK’s electricity between April and June being generated sustainably – wind, solar, hydro and biomass accounted for 24.9% of the UK’s energy mix.
  • No coal was used in power stations for the first time in more than 130 years on April 22nd Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London added: “This was a huge milestone: the first day in which no electricity came from coal since the first steam-driven power station opened in the 1880s.”
  • On 26th May, a new solar record was made, with 3.1GW of energy produced throughout the day from solar – almost triple the yearly average of 1.2GW per day. Dr Staffell said: “A great deal of new solar has been installed on the system which meant that the previous record was smashed.”
  • June was the cleanest month of the year, with 188g per kwh of carbon emitted, compared to 339g per kwh in January – the dirtiest month. Dr Staffell, said: “This is due to demand being lower, so we could make do with very little coal generation, and gas was much lower too.”
  • 8th December saw a new record for wind energy, with 11.6GW of electricity from wind power produced over the day. Dr Staffell explained: “As with solar electricity, new capacity made it easy for the previous wind power record to be broken. 2017 was also a very windy year compared to 2016.”
  • Interconnectors also had a record-breaking year, with the link to France reaching new highs for both imports and exports. 26th March saw 1,994MW imported into Britain from France, while conversely 16th November saw 2,020MW exported from Britain to France.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO said: “Britain’s energy system is rapidly changing, as the Carbon Price Floor continues to force coal off the system and gas and renewables play an increasingly important role in helping to reduce carbon emissions – all year round.

“At Drax we have upgraded half of the power station to run on flexible, reliable, sustainable biomass. Around 70% of the power we produce is now renewable – enough for four million households.

“We are also looking at repowering two of our remaining coal generating units with gas to provide up to 3.6GW of power and developing up to 200MW of battery storage.

“With the four rapid response gas power stations we are developing, which will help to support the system and enable more renewables onto the grid, here at Drax we are playing an important part in helping to change the way energy is generated, supplied and used for a better future.”

ENDS

 

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis

Drax Group Head of Media Relations

E: ali.lewis@drax.com

T: 01757 612165

 

Editor’s notes

Data from Electric Insights comparing demand, emissions and generation on Christmas day in 2016 and 2017 – these are averages of both Christmas Days not totals:

Previous analysis of data from Electric Insights revealed that four years ago, Britain sat in the middle of the ‘Low Carbon Electricity League’. Britain now ranks 7th in the world, following a 47% drop in emissions last year.

Electricity generation in the UK is playing a vital role in the reduction of carbon emissions, enabling other sectors like transport to become greener. Fewer fossil fuels on the system means electric vehicles are greener than ever before .

The electricity sector has many accounting conventions to be aware of. Power flow is measured in gigawatts (GW), volumes of energy are measured in megawatt-hours (MWh). Producing 1 GW constantly for an hour would give 1 GWh = 1000 MWh. Producing 1 GW constantly for a year would give 8760 GWh, which is enough to power 2.65 million homes.

About Electric Insights

  • Electric Insights Quarterly was commissioned by Drax and is delivered independently by a team of academics from Imperial College London, facilitated by the College’s consultancy company – Imperial Consultants. The reports analyse raw data that is made publicly available by National Grid and Elexon, which run the electricity and balancing market respectively. Released four times a year, the reports focus on supply and demand, prices, emissions, the performance of the various generation technologies and the network that connects them.
  • Along with Dr Iain Staffell, the team from Imperial included Professors Richard Green and Tim Green, experts in energy economics and electrical engineering, and Dr Rob Gross who contributed expertise in energy policy. The work to date has revealed scope for further research in this area, to inform both government and organisations within the energy industry.
  • The quarterly reports are backed by an interactive website electricinsights.co.uk which provides live data from 2009 until the present. It was designed by The Economist Group’s independent data design agency, Signal Noise.
  • Total emissions are calculated from British electricity consumption in tonnes per hour (including emissions from imported power), and the ‘carbon intensity’ of electricity – total emissions divided by total demand in grams per kilowatt hour (g/kWh).

About Drax

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Power Ltd, which operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, provides businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity and gas to businesses.

Drax Biomass, is based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

For more information visit www.drax.com/us

LaSalle BioEnergy begins pellet production

29 November 2017

Uncategorized

ATLANTA, GA – This week, Drax Biomass Inc. (DBI), a leading manufacturer of sustainably sourced compressed wood pellets, began start up production at its newest facility, LaSalle BioEnergy in Urania, Louisiana.

“This is a very exciting moment, we have a dedicated and motivated work force that after months of upgrades, retrofits, and training is ready to produce,” said Pete Madden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Drax Biomass. “We knew this was a strong facility, in an ideal location and we are eager for it to come online.”

LaSalle BioEnergy will employee approximately 78 employees and is the third pellet plant in DBI’s portfolio including Morehouse BioEnergy in Bastrop, Louisiana and Amite BioEnergy in Gloster, Mississippi. The wood pellet manufacturing facility, which is roughly 160 miles northwest of Baton Rouge can produce approximately 450,000 metric tons of wood pellets per year.

A series of upgrades and repairs have been ongoing at the plant since the acquisition in early April of 2017, supporting a further investment of more than $20 million for the region. The asset was a strategic investment considering LaSalle BioEnergy’s proximity to an abundant wood basket and its production capacity that supports DBI’s strategy of increasing self-supply.

LaSalle BioEnergy further demonstrates DBI’s commitment to the revitalization of the local wood products sector, which has suffered in recent years from the closure of several large-scale paper mills. Drax Biomass is committed to expanding its positive presence and supporting the communities in which it operates by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local economic development.

###

About Drax Biomass

Drax Biomass Inc. is a manufacturer of compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA with operations across the

Southeastern U.S., we employ innovative manufacturing techniques to produce high quality pellets that can be shipped safely and efficiently around the world for use as a renewable, low- carbon fuel. Our pellets allow electric utilities to reduce their dependence on coal, lower carbon emissions and provide new sources of safe, reliable and affordable power. Led by an experienced team of operations professionals, Drax Biomass is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local economic development.

About Drax Group

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK and supplies up to 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fueled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonization project in Europe. Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

Media Contact:

David Marks

1-678-761-4339

david.marks@draxbiomass.com

Photos

High resolution photographs of LaSalle BioEnergy are available to download for media use here

Drax Group CEO Dorothy Thompson responds to Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget

22 November 2017

Uncategorized

Dorothy Thompson Drax Group CEO said:

“Having this clarity from the Chancellor on the Carbon Price Floor will help to unlock further investment in low-carbon and renewable technologies ensuring that, together, we can continue creating a cleaner economy for future generations.

“Reducing carbon in our energy system is the fastest way to deliver a low-carbon economy. The carbon price floor has enabled the UK to half the amount of carbon emitted through electricity generation since 2012. The support for Electric Vehicles in the Budget demonstrates how vital low carbon electricity generation is for growth in other sectors of the economy.

“At Drax, we will now continue to explore new ways of converting our remaining coal generating units to biomass and gas, and build new rapid response gas plants. These moves will help take coal off the system quickly and cost effectively, while maintaining security of supply and increasing our ability to provide flexible services to the grid.”

Drax Biomass receives the Governor’s award for excellence in exporting

2 November 2017

Press releases

ATLANTA, GA – Today, Drax Biomass, a leading manufacturer of sustainably sourced compressed wood pellets, received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting – New to Export Category for its dedication and commitment to Mississippi communities. The award was handed out personally by Governor Phil Bryant.

The Award recognizes businesses in Mississippi that have made a substantial exporting contribution to the state and are leaders in economic growth, both in our local communities and abroad.

“We’re honored to be presented with the award from the Governor today and proud that our exporting ability and experience is being highlighted,” said Pete Madden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Drax Biomass. “Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England uses millions of tons of wood pellets every year to generate electricity and a significant proportion of those pellets are produced right here in Mississippi at the Amite BioEnergy facility in Gloster, Mississippi. However, before they can be used to generate electricity, they must be transported safely and efficiently across the Atlantic. The journey from plant to port is no small task and is growing more and more efficient – ensuring the supply chain is as low-carbon as possible.”

Madden added: “This has been our mission and we’re proud of the role that we play in the areas in which we operate. As we grow as a business we feel strongly that the communities around our operations should grow as well. By bringing back good jobs our industry is playing an important role in economic development and revitalizing communities in Mississippi. Together with our employees, we are committed to investing time, energy and resources to help these areas thrive.”

Drax Biomass wood pellet facility Amite BioEnergy is located in southwestern Mississippi in the town of Gloster and maintains a workforce of more than 60 employees, and can produce up to 525,000 metric tons of wood pellets annually.

Drax Biomass broke ground on its $160 MM Amite BioEnergy facility in early 2013. The facility was commissioned in August 2015 and is on track to achieve its highest-ever monthly output for shipment.  In March 2017, Amite BioEnergy began work on a series of facility upgrades to improve reliability, operational efficiency, and to increase production capacity. These projects represent a further $10 MM investment in Amite BioEnergy’s future as a competitive manufacturer of wood pellets and a partner to the surrounding communities of Mississippi.

Drax Biomass is also contributing to the revitalization of the local wood products sector, which has suffered in recent years from the closure of several large-scale paper mills. Drax Biomass is committed to expanding its positive presence and supporting the communities in which it operates by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local economic development.

About Drax Biomass

Drax Biomass Inc. is a manufacturer of compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA with operations across the Southeastern U.S., we employ innovative manufacturing techniques to produce high quality pellets that can be shipped safely and efficiently around the world for use as a renewable, low-carbon fuel. Our pellets allow electric utilities to reduce their dependence on coal, lower carbon emissions and provide new sources of safe, reliable and affordable power. Led by an experienced team of operations professionals, Drax Biomass is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local economic development.

 

About Drax Group

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK and supplies up to 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fueled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonization project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

 

 

Media Contact:

David Marks

1-678-761-4339

david.marks@draxbiomass.com

Dorothy Thompson, CEO, Drax Group (2005-2017), responds UK government’s Clean Growth Strategy

12 October 2017

Uncategorized

Dorothy Thompson, Drax Group CEO said:

“We welcome the government’s Clean Growth Strategy and the opportunities it gives both Drax and the businesses we supply, to play an important part in delivering clean growth.

“We are already seeing decarbonisation in industry – the proportion of businesses choosing to use renewable electricity supplied by Haven Power, part of Drax Group, has more than tripled this year, reducing the carbon emissions from these businesses by 76% compared to five years ago – saving almost 1.5 million tonnes of carbon. We now need to work with these customers to use the information from smart technologies to fuel future decarbonisation and help them to become even cleaner and more sustainable.”

“Flexible technologies like Drax’s biomass and gas are vital in supporting the government’s strategy. As today’s plan makes clear, biomass generation is crucial because it’s a reliable, flexible renewable available at scale, able to provide the full range of support services the grid needs to retain stable supplies – whatever the weather. Our biomass, with the rapid response gas power plants we’re developing, will support the system and enable more intermittent renewables to come online, helping us to further decarbonise.”

Drax starts planning process for battery storage and gas options on site

13 September 2017

Uncategorized

Drax today gave notice to the Planning Inspectorate of its intention to consult on long-term options to repower up to two coal units to gas, and build battery storage at Drax Power Station.

Plans for gas on site were announced in June and are part of an ongoing research and development project. The options could create up to 3.6GW of new gas generation capacity and 200MW of battery storage. They are subject to a positive investment decision and would need to be underpinned by a 15-year capacity market contract. The upgrade would enhance Drax Power Station’s flexible and responsive capability, and make Yorkshire the home of large scale battery technology. At this early stage in the planning process these figures represent the maximum parameters of the project.

These options would, if developed, increase Drax’s ability to provide the flexible generation and grid support services Britain’s electricity system will need as coal and other large power stations are turned off.

Today’s notice to the Planning Inspectorate is a step in developing these options as part of Drax’s strategy to play a vital role in changing the way energy is generated as the UK moves to a low carbon future.

The options complement Drax’s ongoing work to explore converting a fourth unit to sustainable biomass. Three units have already been successfully upgraded, on-time and on-budget. They account for 70% of the electricity Drax produces – enough to power Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool and 16% of the UK’s total renewable power.

Drax expects to begin consulting on these options with local communities and national stakeholders over the coming weeks.

Andy Koss, CEO of Drax Power, said:

“We are at the start of the planning process but if developed these options for gas and battery storage show how Drax could upgrade our existing infrastructure to provide capacity, stability and essential grid services, as we do with biomass. This would continue to keep costs low for consumers and help to deliver Government’s commitment to remove coal from the UK grid.

“Drax Power Station is a national asset and a significant driver of economic growth in the North of England. These options could repurpose up to two of our coal assets and extend their operation into the 2030s. We have always supported and worked with our local communities and want to ensure they have a role in shaping our thinking. We will undertake a comprehensive programme of local consultation and engagement over the coming months to share our options with the public and listen to their views.”

– Ends –

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Head of News
Drax Group
01757 612165
Ali.Lewis@drax.com

Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
Drax Group
07712 677177
Jessica.Gorton@drax.com 

Notes to editors

About the ‘Drax Repower’ project

The project encompasses the following elements:

  • The repowering of either one or both of Drax units 5 and 6, which are currently coal fired, to gas using two new gas turbines, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and cooling systems. The capacity of each gas unit would be up to 1,800 MW, with a combined maximum possible capacity of 3,600 MW.
  • A battery storage facility of up to 200 MW capacity.
  • A new gas connection, entering the eastern side of the existing station.
  • An electrical connection into the 400 kV substation from the repowered unit(s) would allow for electricity to be distributed into the National Grid.

About the planning regime

The proposed development is a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) under “the construction or extension of a generating station” category in Part 3 Sections 14(1)(a) and 15(2) of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended). As such, Drax is required to seek planning permission known as a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Planning Inspectorate: an executive agency of the government that manages nationally significant infrastructure projects. 

About Drax Group

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used as the UK moves to a low carbon future. Drax operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.  Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Biomass, based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, providing businesses with electricity.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, providing electricity and gas to businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/us

CEO Dorothy Thompson comments on Forest2Market report showing increasing demand for wood fibre leads to forest growth

28 July 2017

Uncategorized

Dorothy Thompson, Drax Group CEO, said:

“The findings from this independent report are significant.  The research focuses on the US South where we source the majority of the compressed wood pellets we use to produce 16% of the UK’s renewable electricity – enough to power four million homes.

“It demonstrates quite clearly that the forests in this region are growing – not declining. And Forest2Market’s analysis also shows that having a healthy market for forest products incentivises landowners to grow more trees, which in turn increases productivity and the carbon storage in these forests.

“Our operations are therefore contributing not only to reducing emissions, but also in ensuring these forests grow and provide more economic security for local people.”

Read the full report: Historical Perspective on the Relationship between Demand and Forest Productivity in the US South. An At A Glance version plus an Executive Summary are also available as a separate documents.

DBI seeks stakeholder evaluation of wood procurement

20 June 2017

Press releases

Drax Biomass Inc. (DBI) is committed to implementing and maintaining conformance with the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) and the Forest Stewardship Council.  As part of that commitment, DBI is undertaking an evaluation concerning risks associated with the procurement of wood fibre. Part of this process is to solicit and address relevant stakeholder comments.

DBI is seeking comments from stakeholders addressing risks associated with the SBP Standard 1: Feedstock Compliance Standard principles and criteria that were identified for more evaluation and the results of our latest FSC risk assessment.  Please be specific with feedback. Reference instances during forest management activities where concern for negative impact is relevant, cite sources and indicate the applicable region.

In addition, DBI will undergo SBP certification audit for La Salle BioEnergy and regular sustainability systems surveillance audits of existing facilities in August 2017.

Comments can be submitted via survey monkey during the period spanning June 20, 2017 through July 18, 2017.