Archives: Press Release

UK progress on climate targets at risk

13 February 2019

Press releases
  • New analysis shows Great Britain’s progress in decarbonising electricity has slowed
  • New solar and wind projects fall to lowest level in seven years
  • Collapse of new nuclear projects and the suspension of the Capacity Market raises concerns over UK’s long term energy strategy.

Efforts to decarbonise energy generation have slowed raising concerns that the UK’s world beating progress on tackling climate change could stall.

While output from renewables reached new highs in 2018 there was a dramatic decline in the amount of new wind and solar projects coming online, according to the latest Electric Insights report.

The carbon intensity of electricity averaged 217 g/kWh last year. That was 8% lower than in 2017 but amounts to the slowest rate of decarbonisation since 2013. The fastest rate of power system decarbonisation happened in 2016 when carbon intensity dropped 85 g/kWh compared to 2018’s decrease of 20 g/kWh.

Great Britain’s carbon intensity must continue to fall by 6% a year over the coming decade to meet the Committee on Climate Change’s target of 100 g/kWh by 2030.

But it’s already projected to fall by slightly less than that – 5% – in the coming years due to the slump in new renewables and nuclear. Progress could be further dented if coal makes a comeback ahead of it coming off the system in 2025.

Commenting on the analysis Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London said:

“The UK has led the world in decarbonising electricity and that continued in 2018 as output from renewables hit new highs. The sharp fall in new solar and wind projects coming online is worrying, and the likelihood that this trend will continue raises serious questions over future progress towards meeting our climate targets.”

In the last 12 months, fewer wind and solar projects were built than at any time since 2010.  The Government’s own forecasts expect this slump to continue into the next decade.

New solar PV and wind capacity installed in each calendar year

The suspension of the Capacity Market late last year created further uncertainty around the future of Britain’s power system.

That was compounded in January by Hitachi’s decision to suspend work on the planned 2.9GW Wylfa nuclear power plant and a similar project at Oldbury in Gloucestershire. Together with the Moorside nuclear project, which was cancelled last year, it has left a 9GW hole in the UK’s future low carbon generation plan. All but one of the current fleet of nuclear power plants are due to close by 2030.

Will Gardiner, Chief Executive of Drax Group said:

“It’s vital that the UK meets its climate goals. That’s why at Drax we have been taking coal off the system and trialling breakthrough bioenergy carbon capture and storage technology. But this analysis and the problems besetting new nuclear shows that as a country we need to look again at our future energy strategy. We must ensure that the UK power system has the flexibility and stability needed to enable much more renewable energy in the future.”

Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Association commented:

“Changes to energy policy in recent years hit the solar PV, onshore wind and bioenergy sectors hard. 

“Renewables represent some of the lowest cost forms of new power generation today, a fact recognised by the Government in both recent statements from the Secretary of State and the Clean Growth Strategy. However, there remains a significant policy gap and an absence of a fair route to market for new renewable and clean technology projects.

“Today’s data highlights a collapse in the number of projects under development, despite the that fact that polling tells us the public want to see more renewable power on the system.”

Electric Insights reveals that 2018 was a record breaking year for Britain’s power system with several new renewables and low carbon records set. But Britain needed flexible gas generation too – on a cold night in January with low wind and much of the nuclear fleet out of action gas fired stations reached a new record high producing 27GW and meeting 66% of power demand. Data on the realtime Electric Insights website shows that this record was broken again last month and now stands at 27.1GW.

ENDS

Media contacts

Rachel Adeyinka
[email protected]
07940 177 999

Emilie O’ Herne
[email protected]
07774 627 257

Editor’s Notes

  • 2018 was a record-breaking year for Britain’s power system. See all the current records compiled for the first time in this edition of Electric Insight A raft of renewable and low carbon records were set in 2018 with wind solar and Biomass power stations producing more electricity than every before.
  • The ranking in Britain’s electricity mix has also changed significantly – last year coal fell from 4thto 6thlargest source of power, overtaken by both imports and biomass. The team at Imperial College London predicts that 2019 or 2020 could see more power produced by solar than coal.
  • The report finds power generation from fossil fuels was down 15% in Q4 2018 compared to the final quarter of 2017.
  • Electric Insightsalso reports day ahead power prices are at a 10-year high.
  • The amount of electricity generated in Great Britain fell to its lowest in a quarter of a century, as demand fell and nine times more power was imported than interconnectors exported.

About Electric Insights

  • Electric Insights Quarterly was commissioned by Drax and is delivered independently by a team of academics from Imperial College London, facilitated by the College’s consultancy company – Imperial Consultants. The report analyses raw data made publicly available by National Grid and Elexon, which run the electricity and balancing market respectively, and Sheffield Solar. Released four times a year since November 2016, Electric Insights Quarterly focuses on supply and demand, prices, emissions, the performance of the various generation technologies and the network that connects them.
  • Along with Dr Iain Staffell, the team from Imperial included Professors Richard Green and Tim Green, experts in energy economics and electrical engineering, and Dr Rob Gross who contributed expertise in energy policy.
  • The quarterly reports are backed by an interactive website electricinsights.co.uk which provides live data from 2009 until the present.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

Carbon dioxide now being captured in first of its kind BECCS pilot

7 February 2019

Press releases
  • The first carbon dioxide has been captured using C-Capture technology at Drax Power Station in their innovative bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot
  • This moves Britain further ahead in the race to develop BECCS technologies – essential in the fight against climate change
  • The project could enable Drax to become the world’s first negative emissions power station – reducing harmful greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere

The demonstration plant at the power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, is using innovative technology, developed by Leeds-based C-Capture, to capture a tonne of CO2 a day, during the pilot.

It is the first-time carbon dioxide has been captured from the combustion of a 100% biomass feedstock anywhere in the world.

If the BECCS pilot can be scaled up to deliver negative emissions, Drax Power Station would be helping to remove the gases that cause global warning from the atmosphere at the same time as electricity is produced.

Engineers began commissioning the pilot plant in November with the first carbon now being captured, proving that the proprietary solvent developed by C-Capture can be used to isolate the carbon dioxide from the flue gases released when biomass is used to generate electricity.

Data being obtained about the CO2 capture process will continue to be analysed throughout the pilot to fully understand the potential of the technology and how it could be scaled up at Drax. Part of this will include identifying and developing ways to store and use the carbon dioxide being captured.

Drax has invested £400,000 in the pilot, which could be the first of several projects undertaken at the power station to deliver a rapid, lower cost demonstration of BECCS.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Proving that this innovative carbon capture technology works is an exciting development and another important milestone in our BECCS project. Climate change affects us all so this is of real significance – not just for us at Drax, but also for the UK and the rest of the world.

“The successful deployment of BECCS requires us to identify ways in which the carbon dioxide we’re now capturing can be stored or used in other processes and we’re working with the government and other businesses on that.

“We’re focused on working together to make the progress required for us to tackle climate change and enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future.”

The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have estimated that BECCS could enable us to capture 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2050 – approximately half the nation’s emissions target.

The government’s Clean Growth Strategy identified BECCS as one of several greenhouse gas removal technologies that could remove emissions from the atmosphere and help achieve long term decarbonisation.

Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry, said:

“This innovative technology has the potential to make huge strides in our efforts to tackle climate change while kick-starting an entirely new cutting-edge industry in the UK. World-firsts like this will help us to realise our ambition of having a first operational plant by the mid-2020s as we continue to seize the opportunities of moving to a greener, cleaner economy – a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”

Chris Rayner, founder of C-Capture and Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Leeds, said:

“This represents a major milestone on the road to achieving negative emissions through BECCS, which is going to be so important in the future. To see our technology working in a real environment like Drax is a tribute to the fantastic team of chemists and engineers who work on the project.”

Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering at C-Capture added:

“Working at this scale is really where the engineering gets interesting. The challenge now is to get all the information we need to design and build a capture plant 10,000 times bigger. It’s only really when we get to those sorts of scales that we can start to have an impact on the climate.”

Drax Power Station became the largest decarbonisation project in Europe by upgrading two thirds of its generating units to use biomass instead of coal. As part of the BECCS pilot, it will examine options for a similar re-purposing of existing infrastructure to deliver more carbon savings.

Work has already been undertaken to ensure the solvent C-Capture has developed is compatible with the biomass flue gas at Drax Power Station. This was completed last summer along with a lab-scale study into the feasibility of re-utilising the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) absorbers at the power station.

FGD equipment is vital for reducing sulphur emissions from coal, but it is no longer required to control sulphur on four of the generating units at Drax that have been upgraded to use biomass, because the wood pellets used produce minimal levels of sulphur.

C-Capture is a spin-out from the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, established through funding from IP Group Plc.

ENDS

Media contacts

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media and PR
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 670 888

Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 677 177 

Photo

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Caption: L-R Chris Rayner, founder of C-Capture , Drax Power CEO Andy Koss, Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering at C-Capture, Carl Clayton, Drax Research and Innovation Engineer at the Drax BECCS plant, which has successfully captured carbon

Animation

View/download the animation

Editor’s Notes

  • Drax Power Station is the single largest user of sustainable biomass for power in the world – around 70% of the electricity it produces is renewable, enough to power four million households.
  • Biomass, such as sustainably sourced compressed wood pellets, is a renewable fuel – the CO2 captured  when it grew is equal to the emissions it releases when used to generate electricity so it does not contribute new carbon to the biosphere. When coupled with CCS, the overall process of biomass electricity generation removes more CO2 from the atmosphere than it releases.
  • The government’s Clean Growth Strategy identified ‘sustainable biomass power stations used in tandem with CCUS technology’ as a potential route to achieving long-term decarbonisation between now and 2050.
  • Drax is in discussions with the British Beer and Pub Association to see if it could help keep the fizz in the drinks industry as part of its efforts to ensure the carbon captured during the BECCS pilot project is used in another process or industry.
  • There are other markets which Drax expects to provide significant opportunities such as using the CO2 captured in the creation of synthetic fuels.
  • Drax is also working with the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, CATCH and other interested parties to explore the role CCUS can play in turning the Humber Estuary into the world’s first ‘net-zero- carbon cluster by 2040.
  • It has plans to Repower its two remaining coal generating units to use high efficiency, flexible gas. By reusing some of its existing infrastructure, including the grid connection and cooling towers, the development will be cost effective and very competitive. It could also enable Drax to stop using coal as soon as 2023, well ahead of the government’s 2025 deadline, reducing its emissions whilst playing a vital role in supporting the system as more renewables come online.
  • C-Capture is a spin out from the Chemistry Department at Leeds University and has attracted support from IP Group, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund and the CO2 Capture Project for CO2 capture technology, which has potential in a range of areas including biogas upgrading, natural gas sweetening and hydrogen production.
  • The government has provided £2.2 million in support to C-Capture to develop the carbon capture technology.

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

About C-Capture

C-Capture designs world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal. It has patented a unique, solvent-based technology which offers a safe, low-cost way to remove carbon dioxide from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion for positive environmental benefit. In May 2018 C-Capture announced a partnership with Drax Group to run a pilot of its technology at the North Yorkshire power station, which will see carbon dioxide captured from biomass used in power generation, and show how C-Capture’s technology can be used as part of a process to remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (BECCS). C-Capture is proud of the potential its technology offers to mitigate climate change as part of the growing market for environmentally-conscious power generation and industrial processes. The company was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University, and is backed by IP Group, Drax and BP Ventures. IP Group was set up with a mission to evolve great ideas, mainly from partner universities, into world-changing businesses.

https://www.c-capture.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/c_captureco2

About the University of Leeds

The University of Leeds has created more than 100 spin-out companies, with a market capitalisation in excess of £500 million. Seven of these spin-out companies are market listed on AIM, which is more than any other university in the UK. The University is also home to the EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Bioenergy, and has extensive experience in energy research through the interdisciplinary Energy Leeds initiative.

The University is preparing to launch its £40m Nexus innovation and enterprise centre later this year. Nexus will provide business and industry with easy access to world-leading academic experts and their ground-breaking research, high quality facilities and cutting edge equipment at the University. nexusleeds.co.uk

For more information visit www.leeds.ac.uk

C-Capture raises £3.5m in funding round led by BP, Drax and IP Group

4 February 2019

Press releases

The funding strongly underlines the credibility of C-Capture’s technology as the company positions itself to help mitigate climate change by providing systems that remove carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and cement, steel and aluminium facilities.

C-Capture is currently conducting a demonstration project at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, which will remove carbon dioxide from emissions produced by generating electricity from sustainable biomass. The project, which is the first of its kind in Europe, is highly significant because it has the capacity to produce negative emissions, whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored.

C-Capture will use the new funding to further develop the technology, support larger pilot projects in other industries, and increase marketing globally. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely-regarded as an essential component of strategies to combat climate change – both by removing carbon dioxide from processes that use fossil fuels and producing negative carbon dioxide emissions from power generation that uses biomass. The UK government is committed to developing and deploying CCS technology to cut emissions.

Tristan Fischer, chairman of C-Capture, said:

“We’re delighted that Drax, IP Group and now BP have all seen that our unique technology has the potential to be applied at scale around the world as part of the global drive to tackle climate change. We’re all very excited about the pilot project with Drax, and also that this new funding will help to develop our technology for use across a range of industries. We are looking carefully at the broader market for our carbon capture technology, which includes not just power generation but also the production of cement, steel and aluminium, as well as biogas, across a range of territories including India and China.”

C-Capture’s technology uses new proprietary solvents to remove carbon dioxide, offering a safer and less expensive alternative to current technologies based on the use of amines. It provides a means to make the removal of carbon dioxide significantly more economic from a range of large- scale processes, such as power generation from coal, gas and biomass, and the production of cement, steel, and aluminium. C-Capture, based in Leeds, was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University with funding from IP Group and has raised over £2.2m from the UK government and £1.7m from IP Group so far to develop its technology.

Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group, said:

“At Drax we are focused on enabling a zero-carbon, lower-cost energy future, and want to take advantage of the environmental and business opportunities created by a growing net zero carbon economy. The innovative technology C-Capture has developed and is piloting at Drax Power Station is putting the UK on the map when it comes to carbon capture and global efforts to tackle climate change. This investment gives us a long-term commercial agreement to work together with them.

“We’re confident that our bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project will be successful, and if we scale it up, it could enable Drax to become the world’s first negative emissions power station. This significant milestone means the power we produce would help to reduce the carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere.”

David Eyton, BP’s group head of technology said:

“BP believes carbon capture, use and storage has a key role to play in reducing emissions, in line with global climate ambitions. C-Capture’s technology could reduce the cost of capturing carbon dioxide. Our investment in C-Capture supports our ambition to advance the energy transition, and we look forward to working with them to explore opportunities to trial their technology.”

Ben Murphy, Cleantech Investment Manager at IP Group plc, said:

“C-Capture provides new, world- leading technology for capturing carbon dioxide from large-scale emissions. It has great potential to address climate change by facilitating negative emissions. This funding round further shows IP Group’s ability to build world-changing companies on the back of cutting-edge science. BP and Drax are excellent partners to work with as C-Capture looks to take its technology to global markets.”

Notes to editors

The UK’s first carbon capture, usage and storage project could be operational from the mid 2020s under a government action plan – press release via link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-to-enable-first-uk-carbon-capture-project-from-the-mid- 2020s-announced-at-world-first-summit

About C-Capture:

C-Capture designs world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal. It has patented a unique, solvent-based technology which offers a safe, low-cost way to remove carbon dioxide from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion for positive environmental benefit. In May 2018 C-Capture announced a partnership with Drax Group to run a pilot of its technology at the North Yorkshire power station, which will see carbon dioxide captured from biomass used in power generation, and show how C-Capture’s technology can be used as part of a process to remove existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (BECCS). C-Capture is proud of the potential its technology offers to mitigate climate change as part of the growing market for environmentally-conscious power generation and industrial processes. The company was formed in 2009 as a spin-out from Leeds University, and is backed by IP Group, Drax and BP Ventures. IP Group was set up with a mission to evolve great ideas, mainly from partner universities, into world- changing businesses.

www.c-capture.co.uk

twitter.com/c_captureco2

For further information about C-Capture or interview requests, please contact:

John Elliott: 020 7324 0492 / 07894 709 826 / [email protected]

Jack Shelley: 020 7549 0743 / 07917 886576 / [email protected]

About BP Ventures:

BP Ventures identifies and invests in private, high growth, potentially game-changing technology companies, accelerating cutting-edge innovations across the entire energy spectrum. Since 2006, BP Ventures has invested over $450m in technology companies across more than 40 entities with more than 200 co-investors.

BP Ventures focuses on connecting and growing new energy business, focused on our core upstream, downstream and alternative energy businesses. In addition, it makes strategic equity investments in advanced mobility, low carbon and digital. For more information visit www.bp.com/ventures

For further information about BP Ventures, please contact:

BP Group press office: +44 20 7496 4076, [email protected]

Kekst CNC: +44 20 3219 8800, [email protected]

About Drax:

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:

Drax owns two B2B energy supply businesses:

  • Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity and energy services to large Industrial and Commercial sector
  • Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity, energy services and gas to small and medium sized (SME)

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 drax.com

For further information about Drax, please contact:

Jessica Gorton
Press Officer
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7712 677 177

Matt Willey
Group Director of External Affairs
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7711 376 087

About IP Group

IP Group is a leading intellectual property commercialisation company which focuses on evolving great ideas, mainly from its partner universities, into world-changing businesses. The Group has pioneered a unique approach to developing these ideas and the resulting businesses by providing access to business building expertise, capital (through its 100%-owned FCA-authorised subsidiaries IP Capital and Parkwalk Advisors), networks, recruitment and business support. IP Group has a strong track record of success and its portfolio comprises holdings in early-stage to mature businesses across life sciences and technology. IP Group is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the code IPO.

Pedal power station

1 February 2019

Press releases

Staff at the UK’s biggest power station took to unique exercise bikes to raise more than a thousand pounds in an afternoon for a heart charity – making healthy fruit drinks as they pedalled.

The fund-raising challenge at Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, saw dozens of people at the site riding two specially-designed smoothie bikes, each pedalling furiously for 30 seconds to set the best time on the day.

Cheered on by colleagues, each half-minute burst produced a healthy fruit smoothie via a mixer fitted to the front of the bike for the event, which raised money for the British Heart Foundation, one of four charities which Drax staff have chosen to support in 2019.

Each smoothie cyclist, including Chief Executive Andy Koss, had 30 seconds to pedal as far as possible on a digital timer and distance recorder – before enjoying the refreshing strawberry, mango or peach smoothie drink they had created through their efforts.

In total, the team, most of whom dressed in red for the day, raised £1,019 for the charity, which also included money raised from a hamper raffle and other donations on the day from generous non-cyclists.

Experts from the British Heart Foundation were also on site throughout the day in the power station’s canteen area to give free health and heart checks to members of the Drax team.

The event was the first of a number of fundraising initiatives this year at the power station – the largest decarbonisation project in Europe – where the team raised funds for over 50 different charities in 2018.

Andy Koss, who cycled 0.38 miles in his 30 seconds, said:

“It’s great to see so many of the team having a go and raising money for a great cause, which ultimately is what this is all about. The event has been a lot of fun, and it’s an excellent start to 2019’s fundraising initiatives.”

Vicky Bullivant, Group Head of Sustainable Business added,

“We’re really proud of the money we’ve been able to raise in previous years but this year, our team have said they want to do even more and this is the first chance to take on that challenge.

“The British Heart Foundation is a great cause and the smoothie bike challenge was a great way to help people stay healthy and have a little fun as well during their day. We’re all already looking forward to the next challenge.”

The team at Drax have chosen four charities to support during 2019, with the British Heart Foundation joined by Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Support and The Alzheimer’s Society.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

Award-winning tourist attraction re-opens to the public for 2019

31 January 2019

Press releases

From 4thFebruary, the visitor centre and pumped storage hydroelectric power station, located within the stunning mountain of Ben Cruachan will be open again for visits and guided tours throughout the rest of the year.

Just a short distance from Oban, a huge cavern within the mountain houses Cruachan Power Station’s turbines, which can power the equivalent of more than 90,000 homes at times of peak electricity demand.

Constructed between 1959 and 1965, it was the first power station of its kind and size anywhere in the world.

The site, which welcomes around 50,000 visitors every year, is also a haven for wildlife, with swallows, ospreys, pine martens and golden eagles all calling the mountain home.

The contrast between this feat of engineering and the striking natural beauty of the mountain has Cruachan an enduringly popular tourist destination, since the visitor centre’s opening in 1997.

Sarah Cameron, Cruachan Visitor Centre Manager said:

“We are delighted to reopen for 2019, and encourage visitors to the area and locals to come along and find out more about the power station.

“The tour really is unlike any other – we take visitors inside the mountain to see the power station, and the surrounding area boasts some incredible scenery. Our visitor centre is free to all and our Hollow Mountain café welcomes visitors for a cup of tea and a homemade scone.

“We have families, schools, coach parties and universities come through our doors – all are welcome, and the team makes sure that everyone is catered for. We’re incredibly proud of our five-star rating from Visit Scotland, and we’d love everyone to come and see the visitor centre, power station and appreciate the beautiful location for themselves.”

The Visitor Centre tells visitors about the legend of Ben Cruachan, the story of the construction of the power station and just how such a feat of engineering was achieved.

It is the first time the visitor centre has opened since Drax Group acquired Cruachan power station at the end of 2018 as part of a £702 million deal. Some of the displays have been given a refresh and the centre’s staff are looking forward to showing visitors around.

The visitor centre is open from 09:15am to 03:45pm in winter and 09:15pm to 04:45pm in summer, Monday to Friday. The Hollow Mountain café is open to all, serving soups, sandwiches and salads using produce grown from the visitor centre’s own herb garden.

To find out more about visiting Cruachan, go to https://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

Power station apprentice scheme applications near deadline

24 January 2019

Press releases

Jack Morris, who was named Drax Power Station’s Year 4 Apprentice of the Year in November, was speaking as the deadline approaches for applications for this year’s apprentice intake at the Selby-based site.

Drax, the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, announced at the end of last year that it was doubling the number of apprentices it would take on at the Drax Power Station in 2019 compared to just two years ago, with 12 trainees due to begin their training there later this year.

Dozens of school and college students have already applied for a chance to begin their careers at the North Yorkshire power station, which produces enough power for more than six million households.

Drax also now owns and operates a portfolio of hydro, pumped storage and gas power generation assets across England and Scotland following their acquisition from Spanish company Iberdrola at the start of the year.

The deadline for applications is January 31 and Jack urged would-be applicants to get their applications in before it is too late.

He said: “Being an apprentice at Drax has been an amazing start to my career. I’ve still got lots to learn but I’m getting great experience.

“There’s so much technical ability at Drax to learn from, and there’s so much going on here, with teams working on the latest technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage. It’s a brilliant place to start your career.”

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said:

“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.

“Our apprentices are the rising stars at Drax – they’re the key to the long-term success of the business. An apprenticeship is a brilliant way to begin a career in a variety of roles here and I’m looking forward to meeting our next intake.”

Nine engineering apprentices began their careers at the Selby-based power station in September, a 50% increase on apprentice numbers in previous years as Drax continues to invest in and promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills.

The energy firm also sponsors a number of PhDs at Sheffield University, producing cutting-edge research into areas such as the impact of human behaviour on vehicle to grid technologies where, in the future, electric cars could store and discharge power back to the grid to support the electricity system.

Drax will be accepting applications for technical apprenticeships until January 31 with further opportunities in business support areas, such as finance and business administration, becoming available throughout the year. Drax is keen to attract applications from people of all backgrounds and to encourage diversity.

More information about apprenticeships is available on the Drax website.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177

Mark Duffell
https://tel07969 080272MCD Communications Ltd
E: [email protected]
T: 07969 080272

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

Power station apprentice scheme applicants near deadline

Press releases

Tom Glennon-Fell, who was named Drax Power Station’s Year 3 Apprentice of the Year in November, was speaking as the deadline approaches for applications for this year’s apprentice intake at the Selby-based site.

Drax, the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, announced at the end of last year that it was doubling the number of apprentices it would take on at the Drax Power Station in 2019 compared to just two years ago, with 12 trainees due to begin their training there later this year.

Dozens of school and college students have already applied for a chance to begin their careers at the North Yorkshire power station, which produces enough power for more than six million households.

Drax also now owns and operates a portfolio of hydro, pumped storage and gas power generation assets across England and Scotland following their acquisition from Spanish company Iberdrola at the start of the year.

The deadline for applications is January 31 and Tom urged would-be applicants to get their applications in before it is too late.

He said: “Being an apprentice at Drax has been an amazing start to my career. I’ve still got lots to learn but I’m getting great experience.

“There’s so much technical ability at Drax to learn from, and there’s so much going on here, with teams working on the latest technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage. It’s a brilliant place to start your career.”

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said:

“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.

“Our apprentices are the rising stars at Drax – they’re the key to the long-term success of the business. An apprenticeship is a brilliant way to begin a career in a variety of roles here and I’m looking forward to meeting our next intake.”

Nine engineering apprentices began their careers at the Selby-based power station in September, a 50% increase on apprentice numbers in previous years as Drax continues to invest in and promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills.

The energy firm also sponsors a number of PhDs at Sheffield University, producing cutting-edge research into areas such as the impact of human behaviour on vehicle to grid technologies where, in the future, electric cars could store and discharge power back to the grid to support the electricity system.

Drax will be accepting applications for technical apprenticeships until January 31 with further opportunities in business support areas, such as finance and business administration, becoming available throughout the year. Drax is keen to attract applications from people of all backgrounds and to encourage diversity.

More information about apprenticeships is available on the Drax website.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177

Mark Duffell
https://tel07969 080272MCD Communications Ltd
E: [email protected]
T: 07969 080272

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:  

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

Drax acquires Lanark Hydro Scheme as part of £702m power deal

11 January 2019

Press releases

Believed to be the oldest hydro-electric plant in the UK, the power stations associated with the Lanark Hydro Scheme at Stonebyres and Bonnington on the River Clyde have a combined output of 17MW and were developed to meet demand for electricity in Lanarkshire after the First World War.

It is part of a portfolio of hydro, pumped storage and gas power generation assets which have been sold by Spanish company Iberdrola to Drax Group – owners of the UK’s largest power station at Selby in North Yorkshire.

The deal adds a total of 2.6GW of generation capacity to Drax’s portfolio, reinforcing its position at the heart of Great Britain’s energy system.

Drax will now generate enough power for more than 8.3 million homes with operations in Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire, London, the South East of England, the East of England and the East Midlands.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said:

“As a British energy company we’re really proud to be the new owners of these critical power stations across Scotland. We’re looking forward to working with our new colleagues at each of the sites and playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s power system.

“We’ve been to meet the team at Stonebyres Power Station and have been impressed with the skill and expertise there – this hydro power system has operated on the Clyde for over ninety years, generating reliable supplies of electricity almost continuously.”

Powered by three waterfalls, known collectively as the Falls of Clyde, the Lanark Hydro Scheme uses weirs to divert water from the river to generate electricity at the two power stations at Stonebyres and Bonnington.

The combination of hydro plants in Scotland with Drax’s biomass units in Yorkshire reinforces the company’s position as Great Britain’s biggest generator of flexible and renewable electricity.

The Scottish assets included in the deal are: Run-of-river hydro locations at Galloway and Lanark (126MW), Cruachan pumped storage hydro (440MW) in Argyll, and a biomass-from-waste facility, Daldowie, near Glasgow.

With the additional 2GW of gas power stations in England also acquired through the deal Drax will be better placed to provide the flexibility and stability to help underpin more solar and wind power which will be needed in the decades to come if the UK is to meet its climate targets.

Pic Caption: Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO and Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO at Stonebyres Power Station, part of the Lanark Hydro Scheme.

ENDS

Media contact:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

Editor’s Notes

  • The acquisition of the portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable assets was announced on October 16, 2018 and the deal completed on December 31, 2018
  • The deal increases Drax’s generating capacity by 60% and senior executives from Drax are visiting all of the new power stations to meet the teams which operate them.
  • The portfolio of assets is highly complementary to Drax’s existing generation activities and will accelerate its development from a single-site generation business into a multi-site, multi-technology operator.
  • Having converted two thirds of Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire, to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, Drax has transformed the business to become the biggest renewable electricity generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.
  • Drax Group is now the Great Britain’s fifth largest non-domestic energy supplier and the biggest supplier of renewable power to UK businesses and organisations, with over 350,000 now being provided with 100% renewable power.

Photos

Penstocks supplying water to Glenlee power station    Click to view/download

Weir at Bonnington hydro station in Lanark .    Click to view/download

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:

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

Drax acquires Galloway Hydro Scheme as part of £702m deal

Press releases

Commissioned in the mid-1930s, the Galloway Hydro Scheme was the first large-scale integrated hydro-electric complex to be built in Britain and consists of six power stations, eight dams and a network of tunnels, aqueducts and pipelines.

It is part of a portfolio of hydro, pumped storage and gas power generation assets which have been sold by Spanish company Iberdrola to Drax Group – owners of the UK’s largest power station at Selby in North Yorkshire.

The deal adds a total of 2.6GW of generation capacity to Drax’s portfolio, reinforcing its position at the heart of Great Britain’s energy system.

Drax will now generate enough power for more than 8.3 million homes with operations in Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire, London, the South East of England, the East of England and the East Midlands,.

Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said:

“As a British energy company we’re really proud to be the new owners of these critical power stations across Scotland. We’re looking forward to working with our new colleagues at each of the sites and playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s power system.

“We’ve been to meet the team at Glenlee Power Station and have been impressed with the skill and expertise there – the way this system of hydro power stations dams and tunnels operates is unique.  

“It generates very flexible power which not only keeps the lights on for thousands of households, but also provides crucial system support services to the grid, maintaining secure supplies and enabling more renewables like wind power onto the system.”

Glenlee Power Station, near St John’s Town of Dalry is the nerve centre of the Galloway Hydro Scheme and can operate the other power stations at Kendoon, Carfad, Earlstoun and Tongland, remotely.

The Scottish assets included in the deal are: Run-of-river hydro locations at Galloway and Lanark (126MW), Cruachan pumped storage hydro (440MW) in Argyll,  and a biomass-from-waste facility, Daldowie, near Glasgow.

The combination of hydro plants in Scotland with Drax’s biomass units in Yorkshire reinforces the company’s position as Great Britain’s biggest generator of flexible and renewable energy.

With the additional 2GW of gas power stations in England also acquired through the deal Drax will be better placed to provide the flexibility and stability to help underpin more solar and wind power which will be needed in the decades to come if the UK is to meet its climate targets.

Pic caption: Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO with Will Gardiner Drax Group CEO at Glenlee Power Station, part of the Galloway Hydro Scheme.

ENDS

Media contact:

Ali Lewis
Drax Group Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712670888

Editor’s Notes

  • The acquisition of the portfolio of flexible, low carbon and renewable assets was announced on October 16, 2018 and the deal completed on December 31, 2018
  • The deal increases Drax’s generating capacity by 60% and senior executives from Drax are visiting all of the new power stations to meet the teams which operate them.
  • The portfolio of assets is highly complementary to Drax’s existing generation activities and will accelerate its development from a single-site generation business into a multi-site, multi-technology operator.
  • Having converted two thirds of Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire, to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, Drax has transformed the business to become the biggest renewable electricity generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.
  • Drax Group is now the Great Britain’s fifth largest non-domestic energy supplier and the biggest supplier of renewable power to UK businesses and organisations, with over 350,000 now being provided with 100% renewable power.

Photos

Penstocks supplying water to Glenlee power station    Click to view/download

Weir at Bonnington hydro station in Lanark .    Click to view/download

About Drax

Drax Group’s ambition is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Its 2,600-strong staff 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 six 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.

B2B supply:

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