Drax has re-opened the doors of its historic Tongland Power Station to welcome schoolchildren for free guided tours exploring the power of renewable energy. Part of the pioneering Galloway Hydro Scheme, the Tongland plant, near Kirkcudbright, was built in the 1930s and remains a key part of Scotland’s renewable energy story.
As part of a recent major refurbishment of Tongland, which included repair and recoating of the building exterior walls and replacement of windows and roofs, the exhibition space within the main station building has also been revamped.
The new tours are designed to inspire young people about STEM subjects and the green careers of the future. Pupils can experience the inner workings of a live hydro power station, learn about water safety, and see how the movement of water is turned into clean electricity. There’s also an opportunity for the children to have some fun and dress up like a worker from the site’s origins in the 1930s.
More than 250 schoolchildren have taken part in the educational visits in 2025, with bookings filling up for 2026. Schools interested in finding out more about the guided tours should email [email protected].
Sarah Baird, Drax’s Scotland Community Manager, said: “The Galloway Hydro Scheme has a fascinating history, generating renewable power for almost a century is an extraordinary achievement. These tours bring that legacy to life and help young people see how engineering and sustainability go hand in hand.
“It’s an exciting time for everyone involved in the Galloway Hydro Scheme. Not only do we have this new exhibition space at Tongland, but we are progressing a £15m upgrade and refurbishment of the Glenlee plant further up the scheme.”
Local schools are also able to apply for the Drax Transport Fund, which helps cover travel costs of up to £500 per school.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Aidan Kerr
E: [email protected]
About Drax
Drax’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Our strategic aims are to be a global leader in both carbon removals and sustainable biomass pellet production, and to be a UK leader in dispatchable, renewable generation.
Our operations
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low-carbon and renewable UK power assets – biomass, hydro, and pumped storage generation – which provide dispatchable power and system support services to the electricity grid.
We are the UK’s largest source of renewable power by output, and Drax Power Station is the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity by output.
Through our pellet production facilities in North America, Drax is a leading integrated producer of sustainable biomass. Drax has 18 operational and development pellet production sites which will have a nameplate capacity of around 5.4 million tonnes once expansions are complete.
Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK industrial and commercial customers, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.
Our future
Drax is progressing options for carbon removals using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology globally and at our UK biomass power station. We are progressing plans to develop 7 million tonnes of carbon removals through BECCS by 2030.
In 2024, we launched Elimini, a US-based company to lead our global efforts to deliver carbon removals at scale. Elimini’s purpose is to remove carbon for good. To achieve this, it is convening engineers, environmentalists, communities, investors, and innovators to scale the market for carbon removals, with the aspiration of transforming our economies from carbon emitters to carbon removers. For more information, visit elimini.com.
