Archives: Press Release

Global hydro experts appointed to enhance Cruachan expansion design

8 March 2023

Press releases

Drax is progressing plans to build a new 600 MW underground plant adjacent to its existing underground Cruachan facility in Argyll, Scotland. Increasing the UK’s pumped storage hydro capacity is critical to enabling more wind and solar power to come online, strengthening the country’s energy security while helping Britain decarbonise.

Studio Pietrangeli will act as Owner’s Engineer on the project, supporting key activities including optimising the detailed design and layout of the new plant, providing expertise around the major civil engineering components of the project, such the excavation and tunnelling of rock within Ben Cruachan and preparing the specifications for a Front End Engineering and Design study. This will ensure that Cruachan 2, once constructed, is one of the most modern and efficient pumped storage plants in Europe.

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

“This is a significant moment in Drax’s planned expansion of Cruachan.

“The scale of the proposed development matches Drax’s ambitions when it comes to tackling the climate crisis. More than 2 million tonnes of rock will be excavated to create a new cavern inside the mountain which will be big enough to house Big Ben on its side.

“Pumped storage hydro is vital to strengthening the UK’s energy security by enabling more homegrown renewable electricity to come online, cutting the need to import power or fossil fuels from abroad. This will be a major infrastructure project which will support hundreds of jobs and provide a real boost to Scotland’s economy.”

Antonio Pietrangeli, Managing Partner of the firm and Project Director for this assignment said:

“SP is delighted to have been appointed as Owner’s Engineer to assist Drax in developing this important pumped storage plant. Pumped storage is becoming increasingly valuable in facilitating countries’ efforts to meet their carbon-reduction goals and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The Cruachan 2 plant will be a crucial step towards the UK’s achievement of these goals.”

Pumped storage hydro plants act like giant water batteries, using reversible turbines to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir which stores excess power from wind farms and other low carbon technologies when supply outstrips demand. These same turbines are then reversed to bring the stored water back through the plant to generate power when it is needed.

In order to deploy this critical technology, Drax must secure consent from the Scottish Government alongside an updated policy and market support mechanism from the UK Government.

The existing lack of an appropriate framework for new long-duration, large-scale electricity storage technologies means that private investment cannot currently be secured in new pumped storage hydro projects, with no new plants built anywhere in the UK since 1984 despite their critical role in security of supply and decarbonisation.

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

Editor’s Notes

  • Studio Pietrangeli will provide Drax with expertise across a range of services, including: Civil & Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Design, Process Design, Process Safety, Control & Instrumentation, Health, Safety & Environmental Services, Quality Assurance, Commercial Support, and other Specialist Services.
  • Drax applied for development consent from the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 in May 2022.
  • We expect a response to the application to be received in Q2 or Q3 2023.
  • BEIS has pledged to introduce a new policy and market support framework to enable private investment in large-scale, long-duration storage projects by 2024.
  • No investment decision has yet been taken by Drax and development remains subject to both development consent and an appropriate regulatory framework.

 

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 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

New global Drax Foundation launched to support STEM education and local community initiatives

1 March 2023

Press releases
  • Launch of Drax Foundation to provide grant funding for non-profit organisations in the UK, USA and Canada, where Drax operates
  • Focus areas: STEM education and skills development, and improving community green spaces
  • Priority will be given to organisations that deliver for under-served and under-represented groups, advance gender equality and support indigenous communities

The Foundation is a key part of Drax’s community strategy, which is focussed on ensuring that the business delivers a positive impact in the communities where it operates.

Drax Foundation will fund initiatives that support education and skills development in Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM), as well as those that improve green spaces and enhance biodiversity within local communities. Funding will be available for organisations ranging from smaller community-led projects to larger grants of £50,000 for established non-profit organizations.

Priority will be given to organisations that deliver programmes for under-served and under-represented groups, advance gender equality and support indigenous communities.

Organisations and initiatives that meet Drax’s funding and selection criteria are encouraged to visit www.drax.com/community  to learn more about the Foundation and submit an initial expression of interest.

Drax CEO, Will Gardiner, said:

“Launching the Drax Foundation is the start of an exciting new chapter in how we deliver positive social impact in the communities where we operate. Our ambition is to better support diverse organisations who are working hard to create the next generation of STEM students as well as those enhancing local green spaces and biodiversity.

“We are passionate about giving back to the communities we operate in and we are proud of our past philanthropic work. Alongside the new Foundation, and as part of our new community strategy, we are also going to be funding energy efficiency measures for community organisations in the UK, supporting foodbanks around the world and expanding our Communities in Crisis Fund. Combined this is a step change in the support we deliver for people, nature and the climate.”

This outlines how the renewable energy company is implementing its new approach to communities and it will also ensure that as the company grows it has an established platform to roll out and support local organisations.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Andy Low
Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07841 068 415

Editor’s 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 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

Britain breaks record for ‘greening its grid’

28 February 2023

Press releases

Clean, or low-carbon, power includes renewable sources – biomass, hydro, wind and solar – as well as nuclear, and these sources also combined to break the record for the volume of clean surplus power produced – 2.9GW. During 2022 there were nearly 100 hours where the grid delivered more clean power than it needed.

Despite this surplus, some fossil fuel generators were required to stay running in order to provide the flexibility and inertia that National Grid ESO relies on to stabilise the power system, although the minimum safe amount of fossil fuels is continuously falling, inching National Grid ESO closer to its 2025 goal of being able to eradicate this during surplus periods.

Clean Power: The electricity generation mix over the last week of 2022. Periods when total supply from low-carbon sources exceeded demand are highlighted in pale green

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report, said:

“Britain’s power grid has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade with surplus clean electricity having switched from being a pipe dream to becoming a reality. Electricity is the only form of energy where we produce more than we consume – in comparison to our coal and gas requirements where 60-75% are still imported from abroad.

“Completely eliminating fossil fuels during periods of high renewable output and low demand in the next two years requires significant policy and infrastructure decisions to be made now. Having a new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is a positive step to focus government attention on this and other key targets, such as delivering the large amount of carbon removals from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) that will make a critical contribution to its legally binding decarbonisation targets.

“The UK has led the world in ‘greening its grid’ further and faster than any other major economy and we need to ensure we don’t lose the momentum to make net zero a reality.”

Drax was the first energy company in the world to announce an ambition to be carbon negative by 2030. The company has radically decarbonised its business by transforming its largest power plant – Drax Power Station – to use sustainably sourced biomass to generate renewable electricity instead of coal.

The company plans to deploy BECCS technology at its UK plant by 2027, alongside removing four million tonnes of CO2 from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Being able to generate a surplus of clean, low-carbon electricity is a landmark achievement for the UK.

“At Drax, we believe the UK can go even further in the years ahead by removing millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year while generating reliable, secure renewable electricity through BECCS.

“While countries across the world, and particularly the U.S., are stepping up to address climate change, we believe the UK Government must accelerate its policy support for BECCS to give this country the best chance of establishing itself as a world leader in carbon removals, attracting further clean energy investment and delivering its net zero targets.

“Drax has helped keep the UK’s power grid secure for the past 50 years and through BECCS we will continue to do so for another 50 years.”

View the full report here.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr

Media Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 07849090368

Editor’s Notes

 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 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 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 helps Bawtry Air Cadets get an I.T. upgrade!

21 February 2023

Press releases

Drax’s Charity Committee has awarded £2,500 to the squadron to go towards upgrading its IT suite which they use for online training, presentations, flight simulation and general admin of the organisation. The equipment will replace the old technology which no longer supports the software they use.

The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) is a youth organisation for 12–20-year-olds with an interest in aviation and the Air Force which teaches valuable skills in leadership, teamwork, First Aid and much more while the disciplinary aspect encourages self-improvement and high personal standards. In addition to aviation, the RAFAC also teaches cadets about related topics such as space, radio, cyber and engineering disciplines.

Jane Breach, Drax UK Community & Education Manager, said: “Drax has a long history of supporting the communities local to its operations and promoting STEM education. It’s so important that the next generation have the tools needed to become the skilled workforce of the future. We’re pleased to be able to support the valuable work that the Cadets do and hope that this donation will have a positive impact on the squadron in developing their IT skills.”

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Archer RAFAC said: “We are always striving to give our cadets the best experience possible and help them develop skills they can take with them into their future careers. This donation from Drax to upgrade the old equipment we are currently using in our IT suite will really help our young people with their technology skills. We currently have 35 cadets in the squadron and donations like these are so important for topping up the funding we receive and allowing us to keep offering life enhancing experiences for our young people.”

2008 (Bawtry) Squadron, Royal Air Force Air Cadets in front of Drax’s 114m tall cooling towers

The group recently visited Drax Power Station near Selby for a full tour to learn how renewable electricity is generated from sustainable biomass and to see Drax’s Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project.

BECCS is a vital negative emissions technology which Drax plans to use to permanently remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, whilst also generating the reliable, renewable electricity the country needs.

They saw the 427-metre turbine hall that houses the huge turbines which power the generators to produce electricity, as well as the wood pellet storage domes – each large enough to fit The Royal Albert Hall inside, and the 115m high cooling towers, which are taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Drax is committed to supporting the communities local to its operations through various initiatives including fundraising for local charities and supporting education and skills.

ENDS

Photo caption: 1. 2008 (Bawtry) Squadron, Royal Air Force Air Cadets, Jane Breach,  Drax UK Community & Education Manager and Flight Lieutenant Andrew Archer RAFAC

Media contacts:

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

Notes to editors:

  • Drax’s Charity Committee has a dedicated fund for supporting good causes local to its operations, which include Drax Power Station near Selby and its hydro power plants in Scotland.
  • It accepts funding requests that will have a positive impact on the local community by supporting the company’s STEM (Science Engineering Technology and Maths) education outreach work and improving skills and employability.
  • Charities and community organisations local to Drax’s operations which support STEM and education outreach, skills and employability, or which work to improve local communities, can apply for small grants from Drax.
  • To request an application form, email [email protected] or fill out an enquiry form on the Drax website.
  • Schools interested in organising a tour, should contact [email protected].

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 https://energy.drax.com/

Drax helps businesses save money and support energy security

17 February 2023

Press releases
  • Renewable energy leader Drax is one of the first providers of a new service aimed at incentivising businesses to reduce their electricity demand at peak times to support energy security
  • Enough power to supply 574,000 homes has been saved so far by a number of Drax’s participating business customers, from large organisations including Ford to SME’s like FI Real Estate Management, generating over £875,000 for them, and supporting their net zero goals

The Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) includes businesses with assets where demand can be flexed, including batteries, manufacturing processes and electric vehicle charge points Through the scheme Drax has already generated over £875,000 for its customers.

National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) is running the DFS to financially incentivise businesses to reduce electricity consumption when national demand is at its highest, typically on weekdays between 4pm and 7pm. Between November 2022 and March 2023, the ESO has announced that it will operate a maximum of 12 tests for participants.

Drax Energy Solutions has worked with a number of customers, including global vehicle manufacturer Ford and SME FI Real Estate Management, to reduce their collective power demand by 287MWh during these test periods – the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 574,000 UK homes.

This additional flexibility helps National Grid ESO balance supply and demand amid the ongoing energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Drax’s customers are paid £3,000 per MWh to reduce their power consumption and with a reduction in demand of 287MWh observed during the test events conducted so far, a revenue of over £875,000 was achieved for participating customers.

Adam Hall, Director of Energy Services

Adam Hall, Drax’s Director of Energy Services said: “Drax Energy Solutions is one of the first approved providers of this service. Our business customers with flexibility in their operations can play a significant role in boosting Britain’s energy security whilst cutting their own electricity bills.

“Customers including Ford and FI Real Estate Management have agreed to be part of the scheme, adjusting their manufacturing processes and EV charging. This will deliver more flexibility and stability to the grid, by cutting their energy use at key times, which in turn contributes to their own net zero goals.”

FI Real Estate Management is one of the UK’s largest privately-owned commercial property management firms.  They have over 40 years’ experience of owning and managing properties across the industrial, office, retail and residential sectors. John Corker, Advisor to the Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer said:

“We are constantly reviewing how we can reduce the environmental impact of our real estate portfolio, so we jumped at the opportunity to support this important UK initiative and look forward to increasing our participation in the scheme as future opportunities arise. We are committed to becoming a more sustainable company by implementing smart building technology wherever possible and installing electric vehicle charging points across the estate.”

The scheme was recently approved by Ofgem, and Drax is one of the first approved providers for DFS this winter.

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

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

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

Demand Flexibility Scheme

The Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) has been developed to allow the ESO to access additional flexibility when the national demand is at its highest – during peak winter days – which is not currently accessible to the ESO in real time. This new innovative service will allow consumers, as well as some industrial and commercial users (through suppliers/aggregators), to be incentivised for voluntarily flexing the time when they use their electricity.

As part of a range of tools designed to help manage the electricity system this winter, National Grid are collaborating with energy suppliers/aggregators to allow participating consumers and businesses to reduce their bills this winter.

Unique technology means charging EVs for Drax’s business customers is easier

15 February 2023

Press releases

The two new payment products that Drax now offers will help businesses, whose employees drive company EVs which they charge either at home or on the road, by automatically directing the expenses to the company, thus reducing admin time and ensuring payment accuracy.

When charging at home, Mina Homecharge® accurately pays driver’s charging costs direct to their energy supplier. For business drivers charging on the road, Mina Chargepass® allows them to charge at no cost to the individual and combine the costs in a single monthly invoice sent directly to their employer.

Business drivers will no longer have to pay to charge or claim any expenses, as all costs will be charged back to their employer each month. This helps businesses maximise efficiency as it cuts out the need to manage multiple expense claims, significantly reducing admin time for both the business and driver.

Adam Hall, Director of Energy Services, Drax, said: “We’re always looking for ways to improve our business customers’ experience and offer them access to the services they’ve told us they need. Mina Homecharge and Chargepass are excellent solutions that allow organisations to give their EV drivers flexibility when it comes to where they charge their vehicles.”

For fleet drivers who need to charge on the road, Chargepass offers the fastest dedicated charging network to businesses, with 44% of chargers being either rapid or ultra-rapid. The network currently offers access to over 11,000 public EV chargers across the UK, with plans to grow considerably over the coming months.

Ashley Tate, CEO and Co-Founder, Mina said: “Working with credible partners such as Drax is really important to ensure we’re able to reach more      businesses. Drax offers businesses an extensive range of services for the fleet and workplace charging markets and we’re delighted to be part of that product mix.

“One of the biggest challenges businesses face      is how to pay for their drivers’ EV charging costs fairly and that can be a very complex area to navigate. By offering Mina, Drax can simplify the process for their business customers enabling companies to transition to electric vehicles with ease.”

ENDS

Photo caption: Drax EV charge card

Media contacts: 

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

About Drax

Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.

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

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.

Drax’s Electric Vehicles team works with organisations to electrify their fleets and business premises. They can help businesses whether they’re looking to transition their delivery and operational fleets, implement destination charging to generate revenue, or workplace charging – offering employees the convenience of charging at work.

They also offer their customers a range of payment options, including mobile payment using the Charge Assist app and Payment free card via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Cards. My Electric Vehicles is their innovative user-friendly EV fleet management system that gives customers insight into their EV fleet, charge stations and energy consumption in one platform.

About Mina

Mina is a multi-award winning payment solution for EV charging and is the UK’s only platform which allows fleet and business electric vehicles to be charged at home and on the road, resulting in a single monthly invoice for the business.

Powering some of the largest fleets in the UK, Mina’s unique solution means drivers don’t ever have to pay upfront for their EV charging costs and businesses don’t have to rely on the inaccuracies in the Government’s Advisory Electricity Rate as a way of reimbursing them.

Instead, with Mina Homecharge®, EV charging costs consumed at home are paid accurately and direct to each employee’s energy supplier, and when charging on the road with a Mina Chargepass®, employees have access to the UK’s fastest EV charging network dedicated to businesses – including all charge points within the Allstar and InstaVolt networks.

Businesses are able to see key insights including carbon intensity and emissions, cost per kWh, location and duration of each charge across their fleet in our easy-to-use Fleet Portal.

This makes paying for EV charging transparent, accurate and simple for employers and employees.

Powering Britain in 2022: renewables reach record levels, but fossil fuels double power prices

29 December 2022

Press releases
  • New analysis shows Britain’s power grid had a record-breaking green year, but the spiralling cost of fossil fuels led power prices to almost double.
  • Renewable power generated more than two-fifths (40%) of the country’s electricity for the first time – helping to cut carbon emissions by 2.7 million tonnes.
  • Britain exported more power to Europe than ever before, making it a net exporter of electricity for the first time in over a decade.

Academics from Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights, commissioned via Imperial Consultants, analysed the data which highlights the turbulence that Britain’s electricity system has endured amid an unprecedented year for the energy industry.

Renewable power sources – wind, solar, biomass and hydro – generated 40% of the country’s electricity in 2022 – up from 35% in 2021, helping to cut CO2 emissions from the power sector by 2.7 million tonnes compared to the previous year. Overall generation from renewables has more than quadrupled over the last decade.

At one stage during May, renewables provided 72.8% of power to the grid whilst wind farms generated a landmark 20GW of electricity for the first time – the maximum output from wind is now up by a third compared to four years ago.

Despite the record supply of cheap renewable electricity, the unprecedented rise in the cost of gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent power prices to a new all-time high. The fossil fuel supplied 42% of the country’s power this year, its largest share of the fuel mix since 2016. Britain is on course to have annual average wholesale price above £200 per MWh for the first time ever in 2022 – up from £113 the year before. This is nearly six times higher than the cost of electricity in 2020 (£34 per MWh).

The price (£/MWh) of fossil fuels over the last three years, relative to their averages from 2010-19

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, and lead author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report series, said:

“This has been a year like no other for the energy industry. The public are feeling the pain of high gas prices on their energy bills even though renewables are providing the grid with more cheap, green electricity than ever before.

“The lesson from 2022 is that we need to break our addiction to fossil fuels once and for all if we want lower cost and more secure energy supplies. If we had not invested in wind, solar and biomass over the last decade our energy bills would have been even higher, as would the risk of blackouts over winter.

“The energy crisis cannot be solved by increasing our reliance on gas imported from abroad. We need to turbocharge our investment in clean energy technologies to become Europe’s renewable electricity powerhouse, which will cut fuel bills at home and bring money into the economy by exporting power to our neighbouring countries.”

For the first time in more than a decade, Britain is a net exporter of electricity to its European neighbours. Electricity exports quadrupled from last year to 17.2 TWh of electricity – generating around £3.1bn for the UK economy. The country exported a net total of 1.9TWh, representing a dramatic swing in power trading from the previous year when Britain instead imported a net total of 22.9TWh.

Share of British electricity that was imported and exported each quarter

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said:

“Drax plays a critical role in supporting the UK energy system, generating more renewable power by output than any other company.

“We can accelerate and strengthen Britain’s long-term energy security by ending our reliance on expensive, imported fossil fuels and instead increase investment in homegrown renewables, and innovative green technologies such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and pumped storage hydro.”

Drax is the UK’s biggest renewable power producer by output, generating enough renewable electricity from biomass and hydro for around 5 million homes – producing as much as 20% of the country’s renewable electricity during times of peak demand in 2022.

Drax plans to invest billions of pounds expanding its pumped hydro storage capacity at its Cruachan power station in Scotland and deploying BECCS at its power station in North Yorkshire, to permanently remove 8million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year by 2030, whilst generating the reliable, renewable power the country needs.

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

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

 Editor’s Notes

  • 2022 figures are from 1 January to 17 December, with projections used to account for the rest of the year.
  • The estimation of the value of electricity exports for the UK economy (2022: £3.1bn) is based on the total volume of gross exports if they were sold at day-ahead prices.

Some key records from the data:

  • Renewable power generated 40% of Britain’s electricity needs (2021: 35%).
  • New all-time high annual share of power generated from wind (2022: 28%, 2021: 23%).
  • The power sector produced 50.1 million tonnes of CO2, a fall of 2.7 million tonnes from last year (2021: 52.8 million tonnes of CO2).
  • Lowest ever amount of power generated from coal (2022: 4.3TWh, 2021: 5.0TWh).
  • Output from gas generation rose to 113.8TWh (2021:107.2TWh).
  • Overall power demand continued its steady decline over the last decade to 269.9TWh (2021: 276.5TWh).
  • A dramatic 20.9TWh swing in power trading occurred on the Great Britain – France interconnectors with GB net exporting 7.2TWh compared to net imports of 13.7TWh in 2021.

 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.ukalongside 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 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

 

Families enjoy festive fun at Drax’s Skylark Centre

23 December 2022

Press releases

Children got the chance to visit the magical Christmas grotto, meet Santa Claus and each receive a small gift at the three-day event run by the Drax visitor centre team.

Millie, 3 and Emilia, 5

The family fun day out featured activities to suit children of all ages including festive crafts, an I-Spy Christmas walk, a reindeer balloon race and a Snow-it-All quiz.

Esmay, 9

Jane Breach, Community Engagement & Visitor Centre Team Leader at Drax, said: “We’ve not been able to run our Christmas event at the Skylark Centre for the last two years due to Covid restrictions, so it was fantastic to see families and visitors of all ages enjoying the festive activities with us this year. There will be plenty more great events coming up next year and we look forward to seeing everyone again then. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” 

Children taking part in the reindeer balloon racing

For information on future events at Drax and the Skylark nature reserve, visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DraxGroup/ or the Drax website at https://www.drax.com/visit-us/#events.

ENDS

Main photo caption:

  1. Warren, 3 meeting Santa with mum Emma

Media contacts:

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

Notes to editors:

Developed by Drax in the early 1970s, the Skylark Centre and Nature Reserve is located at Barlow, near Selby, and forms part of the power station site.

The 350-acre nature reserve is home to a variety of wildlife and is also a valuable educational resource for schools, colleges and local nature groups.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Drax Power Station welcomed more than 12,000 visitors each year. The power station reopened earlier this year to welcome schools and colleges for educational tours.

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

Maintenance regime for Drax’s coal units

15 December 2022

Press releases
Engineers inspect generator in Drax Power Station turbine hall, 2019

A Drax spokesperson said:

“As part of the maintenance regime for Drax’s coal units, the power station will be running one of its units on Friday for a short period. Whilst this will generate power and has been agreed with National Grid ESO, this generation is not an instruction under the terms of the winter contingency contract we have agreed with them.

“The unit is not operating commercially and will not receive direct compensation for this maintenance generation.

“We are proud to be able to provide the extra capacity from our coal units this winter, should it be required, to bolster UK energy security and help keep the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.”

ENDS

Background

  • At the request of the UK Government, Drax agreed to delay the planned closure of its two coal-fired units and help bolster the UK’s energy security this winter, following Russia’s war in Ukraine.
  • Under the winter contingency agreement with National Grid ESO, Drax is allowed to seek permission to run parts of the plant for operational reasons for limited time periods.
  • We have agreed today’s operational run of the unit with National Grid ESO.
  • Drax remains committed to a coal-free future for the plant as the UK’s long-term energy security depends on investing in innovative green technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which Drax plans to deploy in the 2020s, to permanently remove 8 million tonnes of CO2 each year from the atmosphere by 2030, whilst providing reliable, renewable power to the system.