Archives: Press Release

Daldowie engineering apprentice wins top prizes at Drax awards

23 December 2021

Press releases

Paul Firth, age 19 from Motherwell, has won Craft Apprentice of the Year after being commended for his positivity and work ethic in his role at the Daldowie Fuel Plant.

Paul received outstanding feedback from his manager, Ian Somerville, who said:

“Paul has been a shining light at Daldowie since day one. He’s popular with his workmates and has shown a natural aptitude as a hands-on, skilled technician which is a result of having worked with his father on classic cars from a young age. On site, he’s proven himself to be capable of any task he’s given and I’m confident he’ll become an excellent all-round tradesman.”

Paul, who is now entering the second year of his apprenticeship, said: “I’m very pleased to have won this award. It means a lot to get this recognition after only being in the first year of my apprenticeship. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved this year at Daldowie and the work I’ve done during outages and I’m looking forward to continuing with this next year.”

Covid restrictions meant that this year’s awards event was held virtually, but none of the glamour and excitement was missing as apprentices from across the Drax Group were recognised for their efforts overcoming the unprecedented challenges that Covid-19 brought.

Karen McKeever, Drax Chief HR Officer, who hosted the event, said:

“Drax is committed to championing and supporting people in their early careers. Hiring and developing a talented workforce of the future is essential for an innovative business like Drax.

“Apprentices all have unique talents and bring a new perspective, that we can learn from. It’s been inspiring to meet them all and celebrate their achievements. The last couple of years have been challenging for us all due to Covid, but our apprentices have shown great flexibility, resilience and patience in continuing to approach their learning with enthusiasm and dedication.”

This year’s winners were:

  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 1) – Callum O’Grady, age 22 from Gainsborough
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 1, Scotland) – Paul Firth, age 19 from Motherwell
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 2) – James Barratt, age 20 from Wakefield
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 2, Scotland) and the Paul Chambers Overall Apprentice of the Year – Iain MacPherson, age 19 from Oban
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 3) – Cameron Shipstone, age 21 from Hemingborough
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 4) – Ben Scott, age 21 from Brough
  • Business Apprentice of the Year – Ben Senior, age 22 from York
  • Uniper Engineering Academy Award – Declan Farmer, age 18 from Brough

Drax’s long-running apprenticeship scheme is part of its commitment to developing new talent as well as upskilling the workforce across the communities where it operates. Drax has 52 apprentices as well as 50 existing employees working towards apprenticeship qualifications at other career levels within the business.

The craft apprenticeship scheme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain skills and expertise by working alongside highly qualified engineers. It is a four-year programme, and specialises in three engineering disciplines: Mechanical, Electrical and Control & Instrumentation. In addition to engineering disciplines, Drax also offers apprenticeship qualifications in business support areas such as HR, cyber security and administration.

Drax recently launched the next stage in its public consultation on its exciting plans to more than double the generating capacity of its iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan Power Station in Argyll and Bute.

Under the plans, a second underground power station will be built adjacent to the existing one to enable Cruachan to play an even bigger role in supporting the expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind power and provide lifeline stability services to the national grid.

Around 900 jobs will be created and indirectly supported during the new power station’s construction, providing a huge boost to communities around Loch Awe and across Argyll.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has been running an apprenticeship scheme for almost two decades at its eponymous power station in North Yorkshire and also offers internships and graduate schemes as part of its dedication to improving skills and increasing opportunities for young people across the region.

Drax runs a number of other initiatives to support STEM education and skills, including:

Applications are now open for Drax’s next work experience for students in Y10-Y12 or S4-S6 in Scotland. For more details go to www.drax.com/careers. The closing date is 16th January 2022.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com

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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Oban engineering apprentice wins top prizes at Drax awards

Press releases
Cruachan Power Station Dam

Iain MacPherson, age 19 from Oban, has won Craft Apprentice of the Year as well as the Paul Chambers Overall Apprentice of the Year Award after being commended for his enthusiasm and work ethic in his role at Cruachan Power Station. Iain received outstanding feedback from his colleagues who speak highly of his commitment, potential and ability and say that he has become a valuable member of the team at Cruachan.

Iain, who is now entering the third year of his apprenticeship, said:

“I’m extremely grateful to have received these awards and be recognised for the work I’ve put in over the past year. I’d like to thank everyone who has helped and supported me throughout. I’m looking forward to the next year of my apprenticeship and the new challenges it brings.”

Covid restrictions meant that this year’s awards event was held virtually, but none of the glamour and excitement was missing as apprentices from across the Drax Group were recognised for their efforts overcoming the unprecedented challenges that Covid-19 brought.

Karen McKeever, Drax Chief HR Officer, who hosted the event, said:

“Drax is committed to championing and supporting people in their early careers. Hiring and developing a talented workforce of the future is essential for an innovative business like Drax.

“Apprentices all have unique talents and bring a new perspective, that we can learn from. It’s been inspiring to meet them all and celebrate their achievements. The last couple of years have been challenging for us all due to Covid, but our apprentices have shown great flexibility, resilience and patience in continuing to approach their learning with enthusiasm and dedication.”

This year’s winners were:

  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 1) – Callum O’Grady, age 22 from Gainsborough
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 1, Scotland) – Paul Firth, age 19 from Motherwell
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 2) – James Barratt, age 20 from Wakefield
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 2, Scotland) and the Paul Chambers Overall Apprentice of the Year – Iain MacPherson, age 19 from Oban
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 3) – Cameron Shipstone, age 21 from Hemingborough
  • Craft Apprentice of the Year (Year 4) – Ben Scott, age 21 from Brough
  • Business Apprentice of the Year – Ben Senior, age 22 from York
  • Uniper Engineering Academy Award – Declan Farmer, age 18 from Brough

Drax’s long-running apprenticeship scheme is part of its commitment to developing new talent as well as upskilling the workforce across the communities where it operates. Drax has 52 apprentices as well as 50 existing employees working towards apprenticeship qualifications at other career levels within the business.

The craft apprenticeship scheme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain skills and expertise by working alongside highly qualified engineers. It is a four-year programme, and specialises in three engineering disciplines: Mechanical, Electrical and Control & Instrumentation. In addition to engineering disciplines, Drax also offers apprenticeship qualifications in business support areas such as HR, cyber security and administration.

Drax recently launched the next stage in its public consultation on its exciting plans to more than double the generating capacity of its iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan Power Station in Argyll and Bute.

Under the plans, a second underground power station will be built adjacent to the existing one to enable Cruachan to play an even bigger role in supporting the expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind power and provide lifeline stability services to the national grid.

Around 900 jobs will be created and indirectly supported during the new power station’s construction, providing a huge boost to communities around Loch Awe and across Argyll.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07936350175

Editor’s Notes

Drax has been running an apprenticeship scheme for almost two decades at its eponymous power station in North Yorkshire and also offers internships and graduate schemes as part of its dedication to improving skills and increasing opportunities for young people across the region.

Drax runs a number of other initiatives to support STEM education and skills, including:

Applications are now open for Drax’s next work experience for students in Y10-Y12 or S4-S6 in Scotland. For more details go to www.drax.com/careers. The closing date is 16th January 2022.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com

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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax donates C$50,000 to flood-damaged communities in British Columbia

16 December 2021

Press releases

Funds donated to the British Columbia Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal will be used for immediate and ongoing relief efforts, long-term recovery, resilience and preparedness for future events in the province and impacted regions.

Drax’s contribution will be tripled as both the Government of Canada and the Province of BC have committed to match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross to support those affected by the disaster.

Matt White, Executive Vice President of Drax’s Pellet Operations

Matt White, Executive Vice President of Drax’s Pellet Operations said:

“This past year has been very challenging for folks in British Columbia – first the continuing Covid pandemic, then the wildfires and now the floods that have devastated the lives and homes of many people.

“We believe it’s important to support the people who live in the areas where we operate, and we hope this donation helps British Columbians take the first steps towards repairing their lives and rebuilding their communities.”

Seventeen regional districts were affected by the November floods, mudslides and landslides including southern Vancouver Island, the South Coast, parts of the Interior and the Kootenay Region where thousands of homes were damaged and many people are still unable to return home.

Road and rail infrastructure was also damaged and could take months to repair.

In April, British energy company Drax acquired Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc – a major producer of biomass pellets with operations across BC and Alberta in Canada and Alabama in the US.

Mudslides took out large portions of the Coquihalla Highway, a major highway in British Columbia, in more than 20 sites, totaling 130 km of damage. [Photo Credit: BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure]

Pat Quealey, Vice-President, BC and Yukon, Canadian Red Cross said:

“Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, Red Cross is able to support the immediate and ongoing relief and recovery efforts for people impacted by these devastating floods. The road to recovery will be long for many people, and Drax’s contribution will make a difference in ensuring our teams can support them as they recover from this disaster.”

Officials expect this extreme weather event to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. The Canadian Red Cross is working alongside First Nations and provincial, local and governments to support individuals, families and communities impacted by extreme weather events in B.C.

To make a donation to the British Columbia Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal:

  • visit redcross.ca
  • call 1-800-418-1111
  • or text BCFLOODS to 30333.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Karen Brandt
[email protected]
250 510 0545

Editor’s Notes

  • Drax produces sustainable compressed wood pellets at its pellet plants in Canada and the US.
  • Drax’s Canadian wood pellets are principally sourced from sawdust and other materials left over from existing sawmilling activity, which would otherwise be left to decompose or be burned. 
  • Some of the pellets are shipped to Drax Power Station in England and used to generate renewable electricity for millions of UK homes and businesses. The rest is sold to other customers around the world.
  • Drax’s pellet plants in Canada also deliver economic growth and jobs.

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com

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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Drax to invest £40M in next stage of the world’s largest carbon capture project

15 December 2021

Press releases
  • Drax has approved a further investment in the development of its Yorkshire carbon capture project that will see Worley commence work on the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase.
  • Contract is part of a 2022 capital investment programme of around £40m that includes site preparation works for BECCS and decommissioning of coal infrastructure following the end of Capacity Market obligations at the end of September 2022.
  • Announcement is another significant step towards making BECCS at Drax a reality by 2027 and follows the company’s decision to partner with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group as its technology partner, and ambition to source 80% of the construction materials from UK supply chain.

As part of this investment, Drax has selected Worley to begin the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) work at the start of 2022 and may also work with the company on the subsequent design and build phases of the BECCS project, subject to contract. Drax will also commence site preparation works for BECCS across its North Yorkshire power station including relocation and decommissioning work to make space for the project.

Worley, a global provider of professional project and asset services delivers engineering, procurement and construction, as well as consulting services for the energy, chemicals and resources sectors around the world.

BECCS is seen as an essential technology to tackle climate change with the project at Drax set to capture and permanently lock away at least eight million tonnes of CO2 a year, exceeding the government’s ambition to deliver 5Mt of negative emissions from engineered removals each year by 2030 as outlined in the recently published Net Zero Strategy.

Drax is already the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, having converted its power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, reducing its emissions by more than 90%. By deploying BECCS technology, Drax will create and protect tens of thousands of jobs across the North, kickstart new green industries, and make the UK a global leader in negative emissions technologies.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax Group CEO, Will Gardiner

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Our investment in BECCS and the signing of this contract with Worley demonstrates Drax’s commitment to deliver a vital technology which is urgently needed to address the climate crisis. It’s no longer enough to reduce emissions – the world has got to start removing carbon from the atmosphere if we are to avert this climate crisis.

“The Government’s ambition for BECCS and its backing for the East Coast Cluster further demonstrates the vital role this negative emissions technology at Drax can play in helping the UK reach its net zero targets, as well as creating and protecting thousands of jobs and kickstarting a new green economy.”

Worley CEO, Chris Ashton

Chris Ashton, Worley CEO, said:

“As a global professional services company headquartered in Australia, we are pleased that Drax has engaged Worley in this important carbon capture project. Our partnership with Drax is one of the ways we’re helping our customers adapt existing assets and decarbonize industrial clusters, whilst also supporting Worley’s strategic focus on sustainability and delivering a more sustainable world.”

The announcement follows Drax’s decision in the Summer to partner with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group as its technology partner. As well as this the company outlined its ambition to source 80% of the construction materials and services from UK supply chain, meaning businesses could benefit from contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds, creating and protecting jobs across the North and levelling up the country.

With an effective negative emissions policy and investment framework from the government, BECCS could be deployed at Drax as soon as 2027 – delivering the UK’s largest carbon capture project and permanently removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

Drax has already kickstarted the planning process to deploy BECCS at its power station in North Yorkshire – if successful, work could get underway to build BECCS at Drax as soon as 2024, with the creation of thousands of jobs.

How BECCS at Drax will work. Click to view/download.

An accompanying RNS to the London Stock Exchange can be read here: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/DRX/investment-in-beccs-feed-study/15251148

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712 670 888

Aidan Kerr
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368 

Editor’s Notes

  • As well as the FEED study, the investment programme will include site preparation works which are required prior to decommissioning some of the infrastructure associated with Drax’s coal operations, on the areas of the site where BECCS will be built.
  • Drax’s coal units are due to close in September 2022 and work to build BECCS could get underway as soon as 2024, with the creation of thousands of jobs.
  • Drax aims to deploy BECCS on two of its biomass generating units by 2030 capturing and permanently storing up to eight million tonnes of CO2 a year, more than the 5Mt the government has said will be required 2030 in its recently published Net Zero Strategy.
  • As part of the Net Zero Strategy, published on 19 October, the Government confirmed its ambition to see significant deployment of mature BECCS technologies by 2030.
  • BECCS at Drax can permanently remove at least eight million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, whilst supporting the creation of a new global industry in the UK, delivering tens of thousands of jobs in a new green economy. This builds on what we have already achieved with sustainable biomass, in transforming a coal fired power station to become Europe’s biggest decarbonisation project.
  • 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.
  • No final investment decision has yet been taken and development remains subject to the UK government introducing the right regulatory framework.
  • Drax would act as an anchor project for Zero Carbon Humber, part of the East Coast Cluster, protecting and creating tens of thousands of jobs, kickstarting a new green industry for the region.
  • The East Coast Cluster is made up of both Zero Carbon Humber and Net Zero Teesside, supported by the Northern Endurance Partnership – a collaboration between bp, Eni, Equinor, National Grid, Shell and Total, with bp leading as operator.
  • Drax Power Station produces 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity, keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
  • Drax has reduced its emissions by more than 90% in the last decade and Drax is now one of Europe’s lowest carbon energy generators.
  • In the Summer of 2021 Drax selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as its technology partner to deliver BECCS at Drax using its Advanced KM CDR ProcessTM.
  • In September Drax announced its ambition to source 80% of the construction materials and services from the UK supply chain, meaning UK businesses could benefit from contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

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. For more information visit www.drax.com

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.

The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4Mt of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.

Pellet production and supply:

The Group has 13 operational pellet plants with nameplate capacity of c.4Mt, plus a further two plants currently commissioning and other developments/expansions which will increase this to c.5Mt once complete.

Drax is targeting 8Mt of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3Mt of new biomass pellet production capacity. 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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Contracts to supply 2.8 million tonnes of biomass to third parties – 2022 to mid-2030s

14 December 2021

Investors

These contracts are for delivery between 2022 and the mid-2030s, of which 0.3Mt is for delivery in 2022. The total incremental revenues over the contract period are around C$675 million.

The deal complements the Group’s existing supply contracts to Asian counterparties and European generators, increasing the Group’s long-term third-party sales book by 15%, to around 23Mt, with total revenues of over US$4.5 billion.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“This deal supports Drax’s ambition to double our sales of sustainable biomass by 2030 to markets in Asia and Europe where demand for biomass is increasing as countries transition away from coal. It also demonstrates Drax’s commitment to the growth of sustainable biomass in Japan specifically, where we expect to establish a new office in 2022.

“We look forward to working with our partners in Japan and other markets across Asia and Europe as part of our aim to be a global leader in sustainable biomass, making an even greater contribution to the world’s efforts to reach net zero.”

Drax aims to double sales of biomass to third parties to at least 4Mt pa by 2030, developing its market presence in Asia and Europe, facilitated by the creation of new business development teams in Tokyo and London during 2022.

Drax is a major producer, supplier and user of biomass, active in all areas of the supply chain with long-term relationships and almost 20 years of experience in biomass operations. The Group’s innovation in coal-to-biomass engineering, supply chain management and leadership in negative emissions can be deployed alongside its large, reliable and sustainable supply chain to support customer decarbonisation journeys with long-term partnerships.

Enquiries:

Drax Investor Relations: Mark Strafford
+44 (0) 7730 763 949

Media:

Drax External Communications: Ali Lewis
+44 (0) 7712 670 888

Website: www.drax.com

END

Primary School students learn about renewable energy

13 December 2021

Press releases

The team led a series of presentations adapted to suit the different age groups in the school with sessions including virtual tours of Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire and Drax’s hydroelectricity facilities in Scotland and an activity lesson where the children replicated the water filtration process that takes place at the Drax Daldowie energy from waste facility.

The children also received a visit from one of Daldowie’s technical apprentices Danielle Nicholson who talked about her role at the fuel plant and what skills are needed, to show the children some of the career options available in the energy sector.

Lila-May, aged 9 said:

“I really enjoyed learning about how the water is filtered and used to make renewable energy and the quiz was really fun.”

Luke (Primary 2) and Charlie (Primary 1)

Colette Wright, Caledonia Primary School Principal Teacher, said:

“The children really enjoyed the workshop with Drax. Experiences like these are so important to get them excited about learning and bring the subject to life. The topic was particularly relevant with COP26 taking place just down the road too.”

The Drax Visitor Centre Team has been running virtual workshops in schools, colleges and universities local to the company’s operations ever since the start of the covid-19 pandemic to ensure that students didn’t miss out on the opportunities that the company would usually offer.

Boaz (Primary 1) and Maxwell (Primary 2)

Alan Knight, Drax Group Director of Sustainability said:

“We’re committed to supporting education in the communities local to our operations. I hope that sessions such as these will help pupils better understand how energy is generated and inspire an interest in STEM subjects.”

Drax runs a number of initiatives to support STEM education including a virtual work experience programme, a STEM box project and virtual tours of the power station.

Top image caption: Emma (Primary 5) and Hannah (Primary 4)

ENDS

Media contacts:

Megan Hopgood
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07936 350 175

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.

For more information visit www.drax.com

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: 

Drax is the largest supplier of renewable electricity to UK businesses, supplying 100% renewable electricity as standard to more than 370,000 sites through Drax and Opus Energy.

It offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.

To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com

Scottish Net Zero Minister visits iconic ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan Power Station

10 December 2021

Press releases

Cruachan is an underground pumped hydro storage power station built in a hollowed-out cavern 1km inside Ben Cruachan – Argyll’s highest mountain. Constructed in 1965, its reversible turbines are still at the cutting edge of energy storage technology, enabling the plant to act like a giant water battery.

Its turbines pump water from Loch Awe to an upper reservoir on the mountainside to store excess power from the grid. The stored water is then released back through the turbines to generate power quickly and reliably when demand increases. This process helps stop wind farms being paid to turn off when they are generating excess power, helping Scotland to be greener whilst cutting household energy bills.

Enough wind power to supply a million homes went to waste in the UK in 2020 because there wasn’t enough capacity to ensure this excess renewable power was stored and made available when it was needed.

As part of the visit, Drax Group’s Head of Hydro, Mike Wynd, also outlined the company’s exciting work on plans to build a new second underground pumped hydro storage power station at the Cruachan complex.

Drax Group’s Head of Hydro, Mike Wynd, said:

“Cruachan plays a critical role in stabilising the electricity system, balancing supply and demand by storing excess power from the national grid. When Scotland’s wind turbines are generating more power than we need, Cruachan steps in to store the renewable electricity so it doesn’t go to waste.

“Drax has exciting plans to more than double Cruachan’s generating capacity, a project that will support new green jobs and help our homes and businesses go greener by bringing more renewable power onto the grid.”

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson MSP, said:

“It was fascinating to learn more about how important this unique power station is in supporting the Scottish energy system and the critical role it plays in keeping the power grid safe and stable.

“This kind of flexibility and resilience helps to support the growth of renewables, enabling further decarbonisation of the energy system as we strive for net zero carbon emissions in Scotland by 2045.”

Drax acquired Cruachan alongside the Galloway and Lanark hydro schemes in 2019, helping to make the company a leading provider of flexible, renewable power generation.

When all four of its generating units are operating at maximum capacity, the plant can supply enough flexible power for around 800,000 homes.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Drax Group Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Editor’s Notes

  • Pumped hydro storage power stations act like giant water batteries, storing excess energy when there is an oversupply of power and then releasing when the country needs it most.
  • This is especially useful in supporting wind and solar generation, storing excess renewable power to be used later instead of going to waste.
  • A recent report by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) highlighted the policy barriers to deploying long-duration energy storage and suggested ways to address these barriers such as through the introduction of an income floor.
  • Despite being a key supporting pillar for intermittent generation from wind and solar power, no new pumped storage plants have been built in Britain since 1984.
  • Drax has begun the planning process to build a new underground pumped hydro storage power station at Cruachan which will more than double the site’s electricity generating capacity.
  • The 600-megawatt (MW) power station will be located inside Ben Cruachan – Argyll’s highest mountain – and increase the site’s total capacity to 1 gigawatt (GW).
  • No final investment decision has yet been taken and development remains subject to the right regulatory framework with the UK government.

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