- An award-winning Drax apprentice has encouraged budding engineers to follow in his footsteps and start their careers at the UK’s biggest renewable power station in 2020.
Kai Lewis, who was named Drax Power Station’s Uniper Engineering Academy Apprentice of the Year in October, has urged would-be applicants not to miss out on the chance to start a career with Drax – the world’s first company to announce an ambition to become carbon negative – and submit their applications before the end of January.
Kai, who is in the second year of his apprenticeship, said:
“There’s so much technical ability at Drax to learn from, it’s a fantastic start for all of us so early in our careers and this year’s intake of apprentices will be no different. There’s so much going on, it’s a real chance to play a part in an energy sector, which is changing really quickly.
“It’s been an amazing start to my career. I’ve still got lots to learn but it’s great experience.”
Photo of Kai Lewis (centre) receiving the Uniper Engineering Academy Apprentice of the Year Award alongside Mike Maudsley (left), Drax’s UK Portfolio Generation Director and BBC Look North’s Harry Gration (right).
Andy Koss, CEO Generation, said:
“There’s no better way to start a career in engineering than here at Drax. Groundbreaking technologies are being piloted by our world class engineers, which could enable Drax to be the first company globally to be carbon negative, making a major contribution towards addressing the climate crisis.
“Every business in the Northern Powerhouse region has a role to play in creating opportunities for young people and raising aspirations – encouraging them to develop the skills they’ll need in the future. Apprentices are not only vital to the long-term future of our business – they also possess the future talent needed to ensure the UK meets its net zero carbon by 2050 targets.”
Applications for Control and Instrumentation Engineering, and Electrical Engineering apprentices close on Friday January 31 with successful applicants taking up their posts in August 2020.
Drax is keen to attract applications from people of all backgrounds and to encourage diversity.
To apply or find out more about the apprenticeships available, visit the Drax website.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Aidan Kerr
Drax Group Media Manager
[email protected]
07849090368
Lily Pettifar
Drax Group Media Intern
[email protected]
07719 559556
Notes to editors:
- Drax became the first business in the world to announce an ambition to become carbon negative when Group CEO Will Gardiner spoke at COP25 in December. It plans to achieve this by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology, on its biomass generating units at Drax Power Station.
- Becoming carbon negative would mean it would be removing more carbon dioxide than it emits across the whole of the Group’s operations, whilst producing the flexible, renewable electricity millions of homes and businesses rely on.
About Drax
Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,900-strong employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.
Power generation:
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable electricity generation assets across Britain. 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 two thirds of 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.
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. It also owns and operates four gas power stations in England.
Customers:
Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:
- Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
- Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.
Pellet production:
Drax owns and operates three pellet mills in the US South which manufacture compressed wood pellets (biomass) produced from sustainably managed working forests. These pellet mills supply around 20% of the biomass used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.
For more information visit www.drax.com/uk
