- New programme of nationwide events will encourage British businesses to work with renewable energy pioneer Drax to deliver its multi-billion-pound climate-saving negative emissions technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
- Events series marks a crucial step on Drax’s journey to deliver this pioneering technology in the 2020s.
- Event launch comes as Drax prepares to start a major public consultation on its BECCS plans in November, offering stakeholders and communities the chance to learn more about the project.
The company will be hosting a series of nationwide events throughout 2022 in partnership with the West & North Yorkshire and Hull & Humber Chambers of Commerce, as well as further events across the wider North, Midlands and South of England. These will enable Drax to identify a robust supply chain for BECCS, ensuring the project can be accelerated as soon as planning approval is received.
The event series will start with an introductory webinar on Thursday September 23, 2021, run with business support organisation NOF. The initial event will give new and prospective suppliers the opportunity to learn more about the BECCS project, as well as how they can be involved in delivering this vital negative emissions technology.
Graham Backhouse, Drax’s Commercial Director for the BECCS project, said:
“Negative emissions technologies like BECCS will play a vital role in enabling the UK to reach its net zero goals. At its peak, BECCS at Drax will protect and create over 10,000 jobs, levelling up the north, and positioning the UK as a global leader in this climate-saving technology.
“This programme of events is a fantastic opportunity for businesses of all sizes to get involved and learn more about the project, and we want to encourage a range of companies from across the country to take part.”
Drax has a proven track record in delivering ambitious and pioneering infrastructure projects – the conversion of its power station in North Yorkshire to use sustainable biomass instead of coal has enabled it to become the UK’s largest single site renewable generator, reducing its emissions by over 90% and paving the way for the deployment of BECCS.
The event takes place ahead of a formal public consultation on Drax’s BECCS plans in November, when stakeholders including local communities will be able to learn more about the proposed project and provide their feedback.
Businesses which are interested in attending the introductory supplier event webinar on September 23, or the event series more generally and how they can be involved, can register their interest via www.drax.com/supplierevent.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Ben Wicks
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07761 525 662
Editor’s Notes
- Leading climate scientists at the UN’s IPCC and UK Climate Change Committee have said that the world cannot address the climate crisis without negative emissions from technologies like BECCS, which permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Work to build BECCS at Drax could get underway as soon as 2024, with the creation of thousands of jobs.
- Subject to the right regulatory support, the first BECCS unit could be operational in 2027, with the second commissioned in 2030, enabling Drax to achieve its world-leading ambition to be a carbon negative company by 2030.
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.
Its 3,400 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.
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.
Pellet production and supply:
Drax owns and has interests in 17 pellet mills in the US South and Western Canada which have the capacity to manufacture 4.9 million tonnes of compressed wood pellets (biomass) a year. 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 mills supply around 30% of the biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.
Customers:
Through its two B2B energy supply brands, Haven Power and Opus Energy, Drax supplies energy to 250,000 businesses across Britain.
For more information visit www.drax.com
About NOF
NOF are business development experts for the energy sector. The organisation works on behalf of members and wider supply chain to put companies of all sizes in touch with the best and most innovative supply chain businesses in the UK.
Our services include: Business development, Industry introductions and events
NOF works with major businesses in the energy sector as a valuable supply chain partner connecting companies to projects
