Archives: Press Release

Picture perfect – Photo exhibition for Drax Power Station’s golden anniversary

Renewable energy leader Drax is marking 50 years since Drax Power Station began generating electricity with a brand-new public exhibition at Selby Abbey.

The exhibition, Drax Power Station: Powering Britain for 50 Years, celebrates the unique history of the power station, exploring the crucial role it plays in the UK’s power system and the positive impact it has made on local communities over the years. The exhibition also looks ahead at plans to make the power station the world’s largest engineered carbon removals plant by installing Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology.

The exhibition features photos from the construction of the power station which started in 1967, along with pictures of the finishing touches being applied to its iconic cooling towers, the control room, and its four biomass storage domes which can each hold 80,000 tonnes of compressed wood pellets.

Drax Power Station began the transition from coal-fired power to sustainable biomass generation in 2003 and following the decommissioning of its remaining coal units it is now the UK’s biggest renewable power source by output.

Drax’s BECCS plans will allow Drax Power Station to continue to play a critical role in supporting UK energy security and would enable it to remove approximately 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year when fully operational.

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Plant Director, said: “Drax Power Station has stood as an iconic landmark on the North Yorkshire skyline for 50 years and provides power for over four million homes and businesses, whilst contributing £358 million to the local economy and supporting 2,500 jobs.

“This exhibition of photos from the proud history of our power station embodies the collective spirit of hard work and innovation of all those who have worked at the power station. It represents Drax’s crucial role in UK energy security and celebrating its transition from coal to sustainable biomass, and heralding an exciting future with BECCS, which we aim to use to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere whilst generating renewable power.”

The exhibition is open to the public and runs from Saturday 28th September to Thursday 10th October at Selby Abbey. Opening Times: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12pm-4pm.

ENDS

Photo caption 1: Aerial view of Drax Power Station in 1975.

Photo caption 2: Construction of one of the cooling towers at Drax Power Station in the 1980s.

Photo caption 3: Drax Power Station control room in 1984.

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
E: [email protected] 
T: 07729092807

Editor notes

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.

Drax’s around 3,000 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 4 million tonnes 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 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Introducing Elimini: New carbon removal leader launches at New York Climate Week

  • Elimini has launched at New York Climate Week with ambition to deliver carbon removals at megaton scale and 24/7 renewable power
  • US-based company group has entered into 11 carbon dioxide removal deals with eight companies, two fiber option agreements, the establishment of an esteemed Advisory Council, and the creation of four knowledge collaborations to advance research and understanding in carbon dioxide removal technologies
  • More than 20 potential bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) sites under review in North America alone for potential BECCS facilities, with additional projects under consideration in six more countries
  • New independent research reveals 74 percent of Americans are concerned about climate change, with only 37 percent believing the government is doing enough to support the development of carbon removal technologies

Elimini, a new US-based business with an ambition to be a leader in carbon removals, has today been launched at Climate Week NYC. The company is dedicated to permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere while generating renewable, 24/7 power.

By advancing bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) in the United States and beyond, the new company will help meet soaring demand for both 24/7 renewable energy and high-integrity carbon removals. Nearly all realistic pathways to limit global warming to 1.5C and 2C require developing and deploying carbon removal technology at gigaton scale and tripling renewable energy capacity. Elimini will pair 24/7 renewable energy production with carbon capture technology through BECCS – the only technology that currently supports the delivery of both targets simultaneously.

The business has been launched as new research finds that 74 percent of Americans are concerned about climate change, with 56 percent believing the government should be doing more to support the development of carbon removal technologies – and for those already familiar with these technologies, that number jumps to 72 percent, suggesting that familiarity directly drives increased favorability.

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. As an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary within Drax Group, Elimini will also sell carbon removals generated at Drax Power Station, which conducted the first BECCS pilot of its kind in Europe and with the right government support will convert that facility to BECCS.

Will Gardiner, Elimini Executive Chair and Drax Group CEO said: “Carbon removals are desperately needed to reverse the legacy emissions warming our planet – and that industry represents more than a $1 trillion opportunity once it reaches gigaton scale. Elimini will have the focus and agility needed to become a leader in the maturing carbon market, rapidly advancing high-quality carbon removals and renewable energy production at global scale.”

Today, Elimini announced the following:

Investment from first-mover climate leaders

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) offtake agreements with:

And the conversion of two previous MOUs with C-Zero Markets to offtakes with Elimini.

Plus, brokerage agreements with:

An Advisory Council formed of experts from across the carbon removals value chain

Established to help Elimini shape the company’s strategy and hold it true to its purpose and values. Comprised of experts with diverse backgrounds who share our commitment to removing carbon for good:

  • David Hill, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New York Independent System Operator and Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Previously, he was Executive Vice President & General Counsel of NRG Energy and served as the US Department of Energy General Counsel.
  • Miranda Ballentine, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment, and Energy) and Founding CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association; currently serving as Senior Advisor at Green Strategies, and as a Board Member and Independent Practitioner to clean energy organizations.
  • Melissa Lott, Professor, Climate School, Columbia University.
  • Freddie Davis, Director of the Rural Training and Research Center at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.
  • Rajiv S. Joshi, Founder of Bridging Ventures and former Executive Director of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the world’s largest civil society alliance, launched by Nelson Mandela, working to end poverty and inequality.

Knowledge collaborations

We’ partnering with innovative institutions to push the boundaries of carbon capture technology, including:

Biomass supply partners

Manulife Investment Management and Molpus Woodlands have signed options to provide sustainably sourced woody biomass to fuel Elimini’s BECCS operations in the US Southeast.

The Forest Landowners Assistance Program

Elimini will launch a new program for local, family-owned, or underserved landowners to receive assistance with managing their forests and providing feedstocks for BECCS facilities that will meet Elimini’s high sustainability standards.

The selection of its Owner’s Engineer to support the development of its first BECCS facility in the US 

Elimini has selected engineering firm Sargent & Lundy as the owner’s engineer to support with the development of a BECCS project in the United States. Full scale development is underway at our most advanced site for our first greenfield BECCS project.

Once fully operational, the 300-megawatt generation project will produce two terawatt hours of renewable energy while capturing 3Mt of CO2 annually – the equivalent of the average annual emissions of 100 commercial airliners.

Laurie Fitzmaurice, Elimini President said: “Elimini is entering the market at a critical time for our planet and the global economy, when unprecedented demand for power threatens to extend the world’s dependence on coal and other fossil fuels. By advancing BECCS and other carbon removal technologies in the United States and beyond, we will provide organizations and governments with realistic alternatives to power their communities and businesses while staying on track to achieve their climate commitments.”

David Hill, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New York Independent System Operator and Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy said, “Elimini’s stated purpose is to remove carbon for good. As a member of the Advisory Council, I look forward to working with the company as it seeks to address some very interesting and exciting opportunities.”

“Solving climate change will require many technologies, including a critical set of net-zero and net-negative power plants that are needed to supply the global economy with reliable, affordable, and clean electricity,” said Dr. Melissa Lott, Professor, Climate School, Columbia University. “It is exciting to see Elimini step fully into this space at this critical time in global efforts to deploy technologies at the speed and scale that is needed to reduce emissions and protect the health of our communities.”

Walid Rechache, Co-Founder and CEO at Holborn Trading said, “We are excited and proud to support Elimini on their carbon removal initiative. Holborn Trading is invested because we believe in securing a sustainable future. By supporting innovative solutions like decarbonization technologies and projects including carbon dioxide removal, we’re not just offsetting emissions – we’re actively restoring the balance of our planet’s atmosphere, ensuring a healthier environment for generations to come.”

Read more about our new company, team, and the latest research here.

30 organisations in Yorkshire awarded grants from Drax Community Fund

Renewable energy leader Drax has announced that 30 organisations will receive £22,000 as part of the latest round of grants from its community fund.

The funding will go to 30 organisations in Yorkshire, where Drax owns and operates the UK’s largest power station. Drax Power Station near Selby, in North Yorkshire, generates enough reliable, renewable power for four million homes, using sustainable biomass and supports over 7,000 jobs, directly and throughout its supply chains, mainly in the North.

The donations, which range from £50 to £2,000, are for community-led projects and organisations, including schools, sports clubs, and community centres, helping to benefit the local communities near Drax Power Station.

Jane Breach, UK Community and Education Manager at Drax, said: “We are proud to support a diverse range of groups and projects in Yorkshire near our eponymous power station, helping to benefit the communities where we operate with the Drax Community Fund, established in 2023.”

“Drax is committed to being a good neighbour in the communities near Drax Power Station. This latest round of grants will help to support wonderful initiatives that empower young people with community sessions, offer schools much needed resources and provide local communities with equipment for seasonal celebrations.”

The groups in Yorkshire that will receive donations worth a total of £22,069 from the Drax Community Fund, include:

Henshaws Specialist College – A specialist college that works with students with special educational needs. £1000 has been awarded, which will be used to create a hair & beauty salon for students to learn new skills.

Door 84 Youth and Community Centre – A community centre for children, young people and the community in York. £750 has awarded for the ongoing provision of youth sessions at the centre.

South Milford Primary School – A Primary school in South Milford near Leeds. £1000 has been awarded for the school to buy resources & equipment for a new outdoor sensory garden for its children.

Eggborough Parish Council – The village of Eggborough is 9 miles away from Drax Power Station. The parish council have been awarded £750 towards funding for this year’s Christmas lights/motifs in the village.

Gemma Young, Senior Philanthropy Manager, Henshaws Specialist College said: “This new school of Hair & Beauty within our College will encourage our learners to practice and have some fun with independent living skills and self-care skills. Alongside this, it will give our students some brilliant experience within a vocational subject that can also support everyday life. From blow drying hair to painting nails, this space will allow our students to bond and to learn from each other in a relaxed and fun environment”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
E: [email protected] 
T: 07729092807 

Editor notes

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.

Drax’s around 3,000 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 4 million tonnes 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 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Over 100 businesses attend Cruachan Expansion event

  • Event held in Oban, Argyllshire to give local communities, businesses and prospective suppliers the opportunity to find out more about the groundbreaking Cruachan Expansion Project.
  • New 600MW underground pumped storage hydro power station at Cruachan will more than double the sites’ electricity generating capacity.

Renewable energy pioneer Drax has welcomed over 100 businesses, prospective suppliers and local communities to an event for the planned expansion project at Cruachan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Station.

Organised in collaboration with NOF, a not for profit UK membership organisation helping to connect businesses in the global energy sector, the event took place at the historic Argyllshire Gathering Halls and provided an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the wider benefits the Cruachan Expansion Project will deliver, not just across Argyll and Bute, but across Scotland and the UK.

The project will see the development of a new underground pumped storage hydro plant located immediately east of the existing Cruachan Power Station on the northern shores of Loch Awe. The new plant will provide an additional 600MW of generation capacity, which would more than double the current site’s generating capacity to over one gigawatt, enough to power two million homes.

Opened back in 1965, the site has been supplying and absorbing excess power to the grid, acting as a ‘green battery’ by storing low-carbon energy when there is over supply and releasing it when demand is high. The ‘Hollow Mountain” as Cruachan is known, took six years to construct, with a 4,000-strong workforce who drilled, blasted and cleared the rocks from the inside of the mountain. These brave workers came to be known as ‘Tunnel Tigers’ and were pivotal in the construction of the power station and dam at the site.

Although designed when nuclear or coal-fired plants powered the grid, Cruachan’s technology remains at the cutting edge of pumped hydro storage. Cruachan now helps to balance more a volatile supply and demand as a result of the shift towards renewables and low-carbon energy sources in the 21st century.

During the construction phase, the expansion project is expected to support around 1100 jobs across the UK and contribute a potential £470m to the economy. Once fully constructed, the Cruachan expansion will be the first pumped storage hydro plant to be constructed in the UK since 1984.

Steve Marshall, Development Manager at Drax said: “We are delighted to engage with suppliers, businesses and local residents as we continue on the journey to expand the Pumped Storage Hydro Station at Cruachan. We want British businesses to be at the front and centre of our plans for the expansion, which will contribute millions to the local economy and help to support over 150 jobs in the area. We hope this event has educated and inspired those in attendance as we look forward to an exciting future for Cruachan.”

Joanne Leng MBE, Chief Executive of NOF, said: “NOF was delighted to work in partnership with Drax to deliver the Cruachan Expansion project event recently in Oban. To see such an amazing turn out from local businesses, stakeholders and individuals demonstrated the level of keen interest in the project. Feedback on the event so far has been extremely encouraging and to see Drax engaging so early with interested parties is exemplary.”

The expansion project, which secured development consent from the Scottish Government back in 2023, has progressed into the design phase through the development of front-end engineering and design (FEED), with Voith Hydro appointed to act as the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for the mechanical and electrical components of the plant in July 2024.

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
E[email protected]
T: 07729092807 

About Drax:

Drax Group’s (Drax) 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.

Drax’s c.3,500 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 four 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. It is also where Drax is piloting the 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 4 million tonnes 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 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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 Community Fund awards grants to 12 organisations in Scotland

Renewable energy company Drax has announced funding grants to 48 organisations including 12 across Scotland, in the communities where Drax operates.

The donations, which range from £750 to £2,000, are for community-led projects that support STEM education and skills, promote safety and help to benefit the local communities where these groups are based.

Eight of the organisations which will receive funding are based in Argyll and Bute, where Drax operates the flexible pumped-storage hydro facility Cruachan Power Station.

Earlier this year plans to build a new c.£500m underground pumped storage hydro plant at the site gathered further momentum, with Voith Hydro’s appointment to complete a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for the Cruachan Expansion. The announcement marked a major milestone for the project, which could support over 1,100 jobs in the UK during construction whilst playing a crucial role in helping the UK grid achieve net zero.

A further three of the organisations benefiting from the funding in Scotland are located in Galloway, home to the Galloway Hydro-Electric schemes which Drax acquired in 2018.

The projects in the Argyll and Bute and Galloway areas that will receive donations worth a total of £9,850, from Drax Community Fund, include:

Adventure Oban:

A community-led group enabling equal access to the great outdoors for the community of Oban and Lorn, Adventure Oban will use their funds to support a ‘safer routes to school project’. The project will encourage active travel (walking and cycling) and funds will support software mapping costs.

East Ayrshire Council:

The local authority for East Ayrshire is aiming to promote Water Safety Awareness for school children through outdoor sessions at Loch Doon.

Taynuilt Primary School:

The primary school within the village of Taynuilt, nearby to Ben Cruachan, will be using funds to purchase new STEM equipment for their pupils.

MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust:

A small charity that runs Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds north of Oban, will use its grant for the provision of a member of staff to support their community engagement programme.

Berni McMillan, Head Teacher, Taynuilt Primary School, said: “We are thankful to Drax’s Community Fund for awarding us with this £2,000 grant for STEM equipment. This funding will help us to provide valuable resources, ensuring we can further support our schoolchildren in science, engineering and other STEM subjects as part of their education, and encourage them to become the STEM professionals of the future.”

Sarah Cameron, Scotland Community Manager, Drax, said: “The latest round of grants from our Community Fund will provide organisations in both Argyll and Bute and Galloway with much-needed funds to promote safety and STEM education in their communities. It furthers Drax’s commitment to being a good neighbour in the communities where we operate and will play a crucial role in advocating STEM learning and a variety of other schemes for young people across the West of Scotland.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
E: [email protected]
T: 07729092807 

Editor notes

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.

Drax’s around 3,000 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 4 million tonnes 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 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Power surge: UK spends £250 million each month importing record volumes of electricity from Europe

A record 20% of the country’s electricity demand was met by imports from Europe during the second quarter of 2024. Imports accounted for more than double the volume of power generated by the country’s solar panels, and even nearly overtook gas the first time ever. The UK’s imported power is brought ashore through a series of underwater cables known as interconnectors.

Britain has imported electricity from abroad since 1961 but changing power grids and trading rules has led to a sharp rise both in the number of interconnectors, and the volume of power flowing into the country in recent years. During the second quarter of 2024, Britain imported 12.2 TWh, while exports were just 3 TWh.

The findings have been released as part of the next instalment of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report. The publication is an independent report by academics from Imperial College London commissioned by Drax through Imperial Consultants.

Gross electricity imports and exports as a share of British electricity demand each quarter

“Much of Britain’s conventional power generators like coal and nuclear stations have retired in recent years,” explained Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report series. “Fewer dispatchable generators means less competition and higher prices, making cheaper electricity from the continent much more attractive to import. The government must be mindful of the need to retain sufficient dispatchable generation capacity on our system for both energy security and affordability reasons as it works towards its ambition of having a clean power grid by 2030. Britain is always going to need weather-proof sources of power to keep the lights on.”

He continued: “There’s been a huge rise in the volume of solar power capacity installed on the continent. Germany has installed 14 times as much solar capacity in the last three years as the UK to cut its reliance on Russian gas. That means in spring and summer months there is often an abundance of cheap electricity on the continent which the UK can import.”

While some may see this increasing reliance on imports as a risk to energy security, Dr Staffell thinks these interconnectors will increasingly be used by the UK to export power as the renewables revolution takes hold here.

“As long as we maintain sufficient homegrown, dispatchable generation on the system then interconnectors can actually strengthen our energy security. The new government wants to make Britain a clean energy superpower, and if we achieve the scale of installed renewables that is being talked about, we simply won’t be able to use all of the power we generate here in the UK,” he said. “Being able to either store this power at home through more storage capacity or selling it abroad is an attractive proposition. During periods of high winds in the North Sea but calmer weather on the continent, exporting power could be potentially lucrative for the UK and help to lower bills for consumers here.”

One of the newest interconnectors helping to supply record volumes of imported power is the North Sea Link project which links Britain to Norway. It started operations in 2021 and can transport 1.4 GWs of electricity – meaning that if it was a conventional power station, it would be Britain’s seventh largest by capacity.

The Scandinavian state has more than 1,200 hydro storage reservoirs and more than double the number of pumped storage hydro plants than the UK. This enormous hydro storage capacity is increasingly being used to balance out drops in supply from intermittent sources of electricity such as wind and solar farms.

The UK has just four pumped storage hydro plants despite the increasing need for enhanced storage capacity to manage an intermittent power grid. No new plant has been built in the country since 1984, with barriers to securing private investment leaving many potential projects in limbo.

Drax is currently progressing an £80 million upgrade to its Cruachan pumped storage facility in Scotland and has exciting plans to build a brand-new 600 MW plant adjacent to the existing site.

Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s Scottish Assets Director, said:

“As the UK becomes more reliant on wind and solar power, we will need other sources of electricity to keep the lights on when the wind doesn’t blow, or the sun doesn’t shine.

“At Drax, we believe a new generation of pumped storage hydro plants can play a pivotal role in enhancing UK energy security. With the right support from government, we can move forward with our plans to build the country’s first new pumped storage hydro plant in a generation at Cruachan. It’s an incredibly exciting project that will support almost a thousand jobs and leave the UK with a more secure energy grid.”

Read the full Q2 2024 Electric Insights report here.

ENDS

Notes to editor

  • Overall, Britain imported 12.2 TWh last quarter, more than the country’s nuclear output (10.7 TWh), and close to total production from fossil fuels (13.6 TWh). In comparison, exports were just 3 TWh.
  • The country spent £1.561 billion on electricity imports during Q2 2024.
  • Much of Britain’s conventional generation has retired in the last decade, with 18 GW of coal, 4 GW of nuclear, and 3 GW of gas power shutting down
  • Germany installed 28 GW of solar PV in the last three years, the Netherlands installed 14 GW, while the UK completed 2 GW.

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
E:
[email protected]
T: 07729092807 

About Electric Insights

  • Electric Insights is commissioned by Drax and delivered by a team of independent academics from Imperial College London, facilitated by the college’s consultancy company – Imperial Consultants. The quarterly report analyses raw data made publicly available by National Grid and Elexon, which run the electricity and balancing market respectively, and Sheffield Solar.
  • Electric Insights Quarterly focuses on supply and demand, prices, emissions, the performance of the various generation technologies and the network that connects them.
  • The quarterly reports from the last four and a half years can be access at the new website electricinsights.co.uk alongside the interactive electricinsights.co.uk which provides data from 2009 until the present.
  • You can embed Electric Insight’s live dashboard on your website or blog to keep track of what’s happening in the power grid through a new widget.

About Drax:

Drax Group’s (Drax) 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.

Drax’s c.3,500 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 four 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. It is also where Drax is piloting the 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 4 million tonnes 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 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Yorkshire gold – power station celebrates 50 years with train journey across iconic landmark

Renewable power pioneer, Drax Group, unveiled the golden liveried Class 66 locomotive operated by GB Railfreight to mark the 50th anniversary of its eponymous power station near Selby, in North Yorkshire.

The train hauled 25 biomass wagons, including one with a matching golden wrap, across the famous Victorian viaduct on the scenic Settle-Carlisle line towards Tyne Dock, where they were filled with the sustainable biomass pellets the power station uses to generate enough reliable, renewable electricity to power four million UK homes.

Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax said: “We are delighted to mark the 50th anniversary of Drax Power Station, and its role in keeping the lights on for millions of people in Yorkshire and the UK, through this train journey across the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct.

“Our partnerships with organisations such as GB Railfreight ensure that we can continue to contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation objectives and energy security with power from sustainable biomass.”

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said: “GB Railfreight has proudly supported Drax and the UK Government to produce low-carbon power for us all; driving jobs, warming homes and creating economic value across the country.

“To recognise the importance of our relationship with Drax and to celebrate their 50th anniversary, we gave them the perfect gift to mark the occasion – a gold locomotive.”

Drax has also commemorated its special anniversary with a series of charter trains that carried passengers around the Drax Power Station rail loop to raise money for charity.

The event, in partnership with GB Railfreight and others, raised over £30,000 for Martin House, a charity that provides hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses across West, North and East Yorkshire.

GBRf’s Golden Locomotive 66301 was named “Drax Power Station 50” during the day by Drax Ops Director Bruce Heppenstall and two of the companies longest serving employees.  Along with the naming ceremony, passengers were transported around the power station and had the opportunity to see locomotives that have moved materials to Drax Power Station throughout its 50-year history.

Drax Power Station began producing power in 1974, and Yorkshire’s railways have played a critical role in the site’s supply chain and its continuing role in UK energy security.

When Drax opened it was the UK’s largest coal-fired power station and trainloads of coal were taken from the region’s mines to supply it. Today, the plant uses sustainable biomass, and the company’s rail freight partners transport the compressed wood pellets from ports across Northern England to Drax Power Station – the UK’s largest renewable power producer by output.

Drax currently holds a fleet of 255 IIA-D rail wagons, which were specially developed to transport biomass in 2014 and manufactured locally in Mansfield.

The conversion of the power station from coal to using biomass has paved the way for Drax to develop its plans to deploy the vital carbon dioxide removal technology, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) – a technology which can permanently remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reverse the harmful effects of climate change.

Drax aims to install BECCS on two of its biomass generating units supporting the UK government’s ambition to have a net zero electricity system by 2030.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
Media Manager
E[email protected]
T: 07729092807

Editor notes

Earlier this year the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, granted Drax a development consent order for its BECCS plans at Drax Power Station, marking a major milestone in the project’s delivery.

Drax Power Station contributes £358m per year to the economy of Yorkshire and the Humber, employing more than 700 people and supporting over 4,200 jobs in the area.

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.

Drax’s around 3,000 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 4 million tonnes 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 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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

Bright sparks – Drax welcomes new generation of renewable energy engineers

The talented youngsters are joining the company’s technical apprenticeship scheme at Drax Power Station, near Selby, in North Yorkshire. The plant is the UK’s single-largest generator of renewable power, producing enough renewable electricity for around four million homes.

The four-year programme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain expertise working alongside the world-class engineers at the power station. The plant has been transformed over the last decade as part of Europe’s largest decarbonisation project, swapping coal to generate renewable electricity using sustainable biomass.

Drax has ambitious plans to go even further in the years ahead, aiming to become carbon negative by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. The project would see the site capture up to 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

One of the apprentices who is excited to start her career at Drax is Keeley Sheldon, 17, from nearby Selby.

I have a great interest in engineering and wanted to pursue this as my career,” she said. “I made an application to Drax knowing that this would be a great company to work for.”

Keeley isn’t fazed about entering an industry which has traditionally been dominated by men.

She added: “I know being female and going into this career will be a challenge which I’m looking forward to and to want to break the stereotype label and know Drax will be an excellent employer to help me do this. Drax is well known both locally and globally so being given this opportunity is amazing and I’m excited to get started and for my future in engineering.”

The apprentices beginning their careers at Drax Power Station this year are:

  • Joe Morgan 16 – Doncaster
  • Josh Afford 17 – Knottingley
  • Harris Kitchen 18 – Wakefield
  • Keeley Sheldon 17 – Selby
  • Charlie Haller 16 – Snaith

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Power Station Plant Director, said:

“It was fantastic to welcome our latest group of apprentices to Drax Power Station. They are an extremely talented group of young people and I’m so pleased they have chosen to take their first steps in their engineering careers with Drax.

“The plant is pioneering carbon capture and storage technology and these young apprentices could one day be working at the world’s first carbon negative power station. By giving them the engineering skills today, we are ensuring they are ready to take full advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow.”

In addition to engineering roles, Drax also offers apprenticeships in business support areas such as HR, IT, and facilities departments.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr
Senior External Affairs Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

About Drax:

Drax Group’s (Drax) 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.

Drax’s c.3,500 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 four 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. It is also where Drax is piloting the 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 4 million tonnes 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 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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 Power Station rail event raises £30,000 for children’s hospice

In partnership with DB Cargo, GB Railfreight, Freightliner Heavy Haul, and the Branch Line Society, the rail event saw three unique passenger train services operate on the Drax Power Station loop on Saturday 17th August, a route which is ordinarily restricted to freight trains for the transportation of biomass.

Passengers were given the opportunity to ride onboard the special service, with each train using a different route around the power station and all profits from the event donated to Martin House Children’s Hospice.

Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax said: “We are proud to partner with all of the main freight operators and the Branch Line Society for this historic charter rail event, to mark the Golden Anniversary of Drax Power Station.

“The weekend’s tours raised much needed funds for Martin House Children’s Hospice, a charity that is close to our hearts at Drax. Every year Martin House cares for more than 440 children and their families, as well as around 150 bereaved families, and events such as this allow them to continue their vital work in local communities.”

Michelle Ford, Regional Fundraising Team Manager at Martin House Children’s Hospice said: “We are absolutely delighted to have once again worked with Drax on this historic event, alongside the Charter Train Team.  We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing, invaluable support, which helps us to make a difference to the lives of so many children, young people and their families, when they need us most.  A huge thank you to everyone who has made this brilliant event possible, it means so much to all of us.”

Rail has played an important role in operations at DPS since the power station came online in 1974. Locomotives that have moved materials to the station throughout its 50-year history were also on display during the event. The event included naming ceremonies that took place at York Station and Hensall, where two of the current class 66 locomotives which supply Drax Power Station were named ‘Yorkshire Rose’ and ‘Drax Power Station 50’.

Drax Power Station contributes £358m per year to the economy of Yorkshire and the Humber, employing more than 700 people and supporting over 4,200 jobs in the area.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Kieran Wilson
Media Manager
E[email protected]
T: 07729092807

Editor notes

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.

Drax’s around 3,000 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 4 million tonnes 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 19 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.

Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes 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 plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.

Customers: 

Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering 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