Tag: sustainability

Customer service excellence

21 March 2018

Sustainable business

Our B2B Energy Supply business offers personal account management to our large corporate customers and our employees strive to support customers at every step. We aim to treat customers fairly at all times and commit to being professional, honest and transparent in our interactions.

Both Haven Power and Opus Energy have strict standards, outlined publicly in their respective “treating customers fairly” policies. The statements explain how we communicate with customers, transfer their supply, deal with billing and payment and how we handle complaints. Opus Energy publishes an additional performance standard confirming its commitment to customers. Employees receive regular training on providing a high level of customer service.

When things do go wrong, we are quick to make amends and resolve issues efficiently. We have publicly available complaints procedures and make it clear who to contact. At Opus Energy, complaints are overseen by the Customer Experience Board.

We are proud of the recognition both Haven Power and Opus Energy received for their dedication to customer service in 2017. Haven Power was shortlisted for “Supplier of the Year” at the Energy Awards 2017 and named the UK’s best performing energy supplier by Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs) in this year’s Cornwall Insight Report. Opus Energy won “Utilities Provider of the Year” at the British Small Business Awards 2017 and was shortlisted in the National Business Awards 2017.

Protecting customer security and privacy

We take the privacy and security of our customers’ data seriously. We are committed to maintaining effective and sustainable privacy and security programmes dedicated to ensuring our customers have confidence in our data handling practices.

As part of our commitment in this area, we appointed a Group Data Protection Officer to enhance our privacy compliance. We are in the process of updating our Privacy Compliance Programme to take account of new requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enforceable in May 2018, and other associated new data protection legislation.

To support our privacy compliance process and organisation policies, we undertook an extensive technical Security Improvement Programme. We implemented industry-leading control measures to protect our customer and employee data by detecting and preventing threats and security breaches.

Programme initiatives included information protection, using protection technology to automatically detect personally identifiable information and protect it from unauthorised access and disclosure. In addition, advanced threat monitoring and analytics measures implemented mean we have layered toolsets designed to detect, identify, respond to and resolve cyber threats and attacks before they can happen.

Providing customers with great value and good ethics

Founded in 1860, Salisbury Museum is located in a Grade I listed building opposite Salisbury Cathedral. As a charitable, not-for-profit organisation, the museum relies on entry fees, grants, donations and the support of its members to continue its vital work. Finding a business energy supplier that offered the best prices on the market, as well as the right length of contract and good ethics, was important for the museum.

SMEs are a key part of Opus Energy’s business and they know that a business energy service that is as smooth and efficient as possible is a top priority.

Nicola Kilgour-Croft, Finance Manager at Salisbury Museum, commented:

“The switching process went through really smoothly, and the facility to receive invoices via email means I don’t need to spend time on the phone trying to sort out payment. Having 12-month contracts really works for us.

“We were looking for a business energy supplier that offered great value, combined with the right length of contract and good ethics – and Opus Energy ticked all these boxes for us.”

 

People strategy

Sustainable business

Our people strategy: One Drax

Following extensive consultation with employees, we developed our people strategy to 2020 – One Drax. It has been designed to address the key issues that were raised by employees in our 2016 employee survey, such as the need for clearer learning and development programmes and more effective internal communications. The strategy focuses on valuing our people, driving business performance and developing talent to deliver our strategic and operational objectives.

We launched the five aspects of the strategy: my career, my performance, our behaviours, our reward, my recognition. In 2018, we will focus on all of these aspects and, in particular, our reward, my recognition and my career.

Behavioural framework

We have developed a number of HR programmes in line with our people strategy. The foundation of this is a new behavioural framework that identifies positive behaviours reflecting our Company values: honest, energised, achieving, together. The behaviours are integrated into all areas of our people management processes at Drax Group. The HR team consulted with one in five employees across the business, including senior leaders and union representatives, to develop the framework.

In 2018 we will further embed the behavioural framework and our Company values into our culture by developing an online tool for employees to evaluate how they demonstrate the behaviours.

Developing our people / apprenticeships

At Drax Power, we have a proud history of apprenticeships, with the majority remaining to work at Drax and progressing through the Company.

Mick Moore joined Drax on 7 September 1976 as a craft apprentice.

On completion of his apprenticeship, Mick continued to further his education and completed an HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. After a 10-year break he resumed his further education, graduating from Humberside & Lincolnshire University with a degree in Electronics & Control Engineering, achieving Chartered Engineering status with the Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1999.

Having worked at Drax for 41 years, Mick’s career has included roles such as Instrument Mechanic, various engineering grades from Assistant Engineer to Process Control Engineer & Maintenance Section Head. Mick is now the Electrical, Control & Instrumentation Engineering Section Head for Drax Power and is currently responsible for a team of 51 people.

 

Listening to local communities

Sustainable business

Over the course of the year, we held many meetings and outreach events with the communities living in proximity to our gas-fired power station projects, including:

  • Millbrook Power, Bedfordshire: 160 people attended public exhibitions hosted by Drax in the villages neighbouring the project: Marston Moretaine, Stewartby, Ampthill and Lidlington. We also held a series of briefings with local elected representatives and interest groups. The feedback we received helped to inform the application we subsequently submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
  • Progress Power, Suffolk: We held two roundtables with local landowners and politicians in Eye Community Centre in July and October to introduce Drax Group and better understand the community’s perception of the project. Further roundtables will take place in 2018 to involve local people in the design of the power station and sub-station.
  • Repower project, Drax Power Station: 120 people attended informal consultation events in Selby Town Hall, Drax Sports and Social Club and Junction in Goole. The sessions provided an opportunity for the Drax project team to discuss our plans with the community and identify the key issues of interest to them, ahead of the formal statutory stage of public consultation taking place in Q1 2018.
  • Rapid-response gas plants in Wales: We worked with Rhondda Cynon Taf Country Borough Council to discharge our planning obligations in relation to the Hirwaun Power project. We also started meeting with local stakeholders ahead of our statutory consultation on the Abergelli Power project in 2018.

The Sustainable Biomass Program

Sustainable bioenergy

In 2013, Drax co-founded the SBP together with six other energy companies.

SBP builds upon existing forest certification programmes, such as the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). These evidence sustainable forest management practices but do not yet encompass regulatory requirements for reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is a critical gap for biomass generators, who are obligated to report GHG emissions to European regulators.

There is also limited uptake of forest-level certification schemes in some key forest source areas. SBP is working to address these challenges.

SBP certification provides assurance that woody biomass is supplied from legal and sustainable sources and that all regulatory requirements for the users of biomass for energy production are met. The tool is a unique certification scheme designed for woody biomass, mostly in the form of wood pellets and wood chips, used in industrial, large-scale energy production.

SBP certification is achieved via a rigorous assessment of wood pellet and wood chip producers and biomass traders, carried out by independent, third party certification bodies and scrutinised by an independent technical committee.

Working with our suppliers

Sustainable bioenergy

Pinewells, Lda. is part of Grupo Visabeira with global interests in the telecommunications, construction, manufacturing, technology, real estate and energy sectors. Constructed in 2009, the biomass plant in Portugal is one of the strategic investments of the group in the renewable energy sector. The plant has an annual biomass production of 150,000 tonnes, supplying both the international industrial and the internal domestic biomass markets.

Drax worked closely with Pinewells in 2017 to ensure the feedstock used for production is both harvested lawfully and sustainable by meeting the requirements of the Drax supplier data return and third-party audit. Working with the forest and quality engineers at Pinewells, we have supported the company to develop and implement their monitoring and inspection system within their own supply base.

Key features of this system include desk-based research to determine the characterisation of harvesting areas and field audits to approve the felling areas, highlight the Good Forest Practice Guide and deliver focused training. This work has provided a valuable foundation for Pinewells to implement the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) within their supply chain.

“Working with Drax this year has provided us guidance and understanding towards the requirements of SBP certification. The encouragement and advice from the Drax sustainability team proved both valuable and practical.”

— Alexandra Pedro, Pinewells’ Overseas Sales Director

The Bettercoal initiative

Sustainable business

Bettercoal is a global, not-for-profit initiative that has been established by a group of major European utilities to promote the continuous improvement of corporate responsibility in the coal supply chain, with a specific focus on the mines themselves. Through membership of the Bettercoal initiative, Drax aims to ensure that the coal industry respects people’s rights and makes a positive contribution to the social and economic livelihoods of workers, producers and communities.

The Bettercoal Code sets out 10 social, environmental and ethical principles. It is not a certification body, but outlines a process for assessing coal suppliers’ performance against the ten principles. Suppliers complete self-assessment questionnaires and approved assessors conduct Bettercoal Assessments. Continuous improvement plans are developed jointly with the supplier and summary results are shared with Bettercoal members.

All Bettercoal-engaged mines sign a letter of commitment at the outset, which outlines their responsibilities. If a mine then falls short of these expectations, such as by not following up on the continuous improvement plan put in place by their auditors, then they would lose their status as a ‘Bettercoal-engaged mine’.

Drax ended its membership of Bettercoal in June 2020.

Restoring Brickmakers’ Wood

Sustainable business

The Eden-Rose Coppice Trust is a woodland network that transforms urban environmental disasters into beautiful, natural high-biodiversity woodland settings for people living with a terminal illness. Haven Power has been supporting the Trust’s ambitious Brickmakers’ Wood project in Ipswich since April 2016.

Brickmakers’ Wood is a three-and-a-half-acre site that is being transformed into a peaceful space for cancer patients, disadvantaged children and people with mental or physical health problems and learning difficulties. Throughout 2017, up to 12 Haven Power employees spent time volunteering at the project each month. Volunteers contributed to the restoration of the site and relished getting their hands dirty; clearing rubbish and dense overgrowth, building new structures, creating an allotment and planting wild flowers.

Without Haven Power’s contribution, the charity founders would have had to undertake most of the work at Brickmakers’ Wood themselves. In their words: “The continual volunteering has transformed the project, so we are now two to three years ahead of where we would have been otherwise.”

The site is being transformed into a town centre oasis and has already been put to good use. The charity has run skills workshops for 12-16 year olds who have been excluded from school, encouraging them to learn about woodcraft and how to run a business.

Giving up coal

Tony Juniper, Author, adviser and environmental campaigner

7 December 2017

Opinion
Tony Juniper at Drax Power Station between coal stock and biomass wood pellet storage domes

Tony Juniper* is an environmental campaigner, author and director at Robertsbridge, a consultancy helping advise Drax on its sustainability programmes

Back in 2006 while working as Director at Friends of the Earth I approved a new report to be published in support of our then campaign for a new Climate Change Act. We wanted to show UK government ministers how it would indeed be possible to make cuts in emissions so that by 2050 the UK could progressively have reduced greenhouse gas pollution by 80 per cent compared with emissions in 1990. It was a radical and demanding agenda that we’d adopted and it was important to show the practical steps that could be made in achieving it.

The analysis we presented was based on an electricity sector model that we had developed. Different data and assumptions could be inputted and using this we set out six possible lower carbon futures.

In our best case scenario we foresaw how it would be feasible to slash emissions by about 70 per cent by 2030.

This was based on an ambitious energy efficiency programme and a shift away from fossil energy and toward renewables, including wind and solar power. In that renewables mix was also an important role for biomass to replace coal in the country’s largest power station – Drax.

This was not only crucial for backing up intermittent renewable sources but also a key piece in a future electricity sector that we believed should avoid the construction of new nuclear power stations. In November 2008 our campaign succeeded and the UK was the first country in the world to adopt a new national law for the science-based reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Since then I’ve been working as an independent sustainability advisor, including with the advisory group Robertsbridge, of which I was a co-founder.

My work has included assisting various companies in meeting the targets set out in that new law. For example, I was the Chair of the industry campaign Action for Renewables which sought government and public support for the large-scale expansion of wind, tidal and wave power.

Different campaigners tried to stop the expansion of these renewable sources of electricity, however, and succeeded in derailing support for on-shore wind power developments.

Although in its infancy, concerns were also raised about proposals for different kinds of tidal power.

In the years after the Climate Change Act I was encouraged to see that Drax began to switch over to wood pellets to generate power but concerned to see that this too had come under attack. The broadly agreed view that sustainable biomass could have a role in the phase out of coal had gone, and in its place were claims  that it was actually worse than burning coal. It was against this backdrop of changed perspectives that myself and Robertsbridge colleagues were pleased to be invited to help Drax in devising a new sustainability plan.

Early on in our conversations with Drax it became clear that part of the challenge with biomass — deciding the extent to which it is a rational choice to help with the process of decarbonisation, is how the answer to that touches so many different issues.

For example, when it comes to the exit from coal, cleaner alternatives must be brought forward to replace it, including wind and solar power.

But although these sources of renewable energy are growing rapidly, they still come with their own challenges, especially because wind can’t generate on still days and solar ceases at night. This intermittency raises issues about what the best electricity storage or complementary clean power sources might be to back them up when needed.

There are important questions about the best sources of biomass and the extent to which long-distance transport of that fuel is desirable. On top of that are issues linked with the management of the forests from which the raw material is sourced, and whether the extraction of wood to generate power can be compatible with carbon neutrality. There is the matter of nature conservation and the extent to which wood fuel demand will affect the status of species and habitats of conservation concern. For example, to what extent might the wood pellet industry be driving the conversion of semi-natural woodlands to plantations?

All of this is bound up with the economic and social conditions prevailing in the landscapes from which the wood is derived and the extent to which those buying wood fuel can pursue positive outcomes for the environment, even when carbon and wildlife are at best of marginal concern to the local forest owners growing the wood.

Then there is the extent to which economic incentives might be linked with the carbon stocks held in the forest. For example, strong demand for wood is held to be the main reason why since the 1950s the volume of carbon stored in standing timber in the forests of the US South has increased by over 100%.

Demand for wood might seem counter-intuitive as a positive factor in maintaining tree cover, but in the US South it has been a big part of the picture.

On top of all this is the question of what would happen if there were no demand for wood fuel. In landscapes that have seen volatility in demand arising from the decline in newsprint in favour of digital devices and the slowdown in US house building following the 2008 financial crisis, this is not easy to answer.

Although seeking answers is a complex task, our advice to Drax was that it should work with its many stakeholders in finding the best possible fit between its business planning and these and other questions.

One way of doing that would be to set out the different issues in an accessible manner and hence the production of the film that can be seen here.

It’s called ‘The biomass sustainability story’ And while most of us can agree with the basic idea that we have to stop burning coal, it seems the big questions are about what might be the best ways to do it? Might biomass have a role? I believe it does.

Have a look at the film and see what you think, especially if you feel as though you’ve already made up your mind.

7 principles of a sustainable forest biomass policy

28 November 2017

Sustainable bioenergy

Biomass is playing an important role in moving the UK away from coal. At Drax Power Station, in the form of compressed wood pellets, biomass is already supplying roughly 17% of Great Britain’s renewable power.

But more than just being a low carbon replacement for fossil fuel generation, it is also crucial in maintaining the stability of the power network. Among renewable sources of power, biomass is unique in being able to provide the same range of ancillary services that can be provided by coal power stations – such as frequency control and inertia. This inherrent flexibility is vital in maintaining stability on Britain’s high voltage transmission system. Wood pellets can also reliably generate power, helping to fill in the gaps left by intermittent renewables when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine and avoiding reliance on diesel, coal and gas.

However, for the UK and the wider global environment to reap the maximum benefits from biomass, it must be produced sustainably. More than this, its supply chain must be low in emissions so that clear savings can be made versus power generation with fossil fuels.

To ensure this, the use of biomass is regulated in the UK under EU Timber Regulations and the Renewables Obligation (RO). But further guidelines are set to be introduced as part of the European Parliament’s update to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which will specify criteria for all biomass.

There is a clear need for this, but for these to be truly successful they need to be based on a set of robust key principles. A new report by Drax outlines seven of these which can ensure sustainable biomass usage in the future.

1. Forest biomass for bioenergy should be sourced from sustainable forests

The sustainability of the forests from which biomass is sourced is key to ensuring its usage has a positive impact on the environmental, social and economic health of that supply region.

For example, a properly managed forest can boost carbon stock as the younger, faster growing trees that are replanted after felling absorb more CO2 than older, over-mature trees.  Thinning operations also increase the growth of the biggest and best trees, ensuring more carbon is stored in longer term solid wood products.

Generators should be able to demonstrate they are avoiding biomass sourced from higher-risk areas where extracting biomass could cause long-term carbon stock decreases in soils or ecosystems, as well as other factors such as biodiversity loss, soil erosion or depletion of water sources.

2. Bioenergy from forest biomass should not be produced from high-risk feedstocks

Feedstocks, the raw materials turned into biomass pellets, must come from sustainable sources and avoid protected and sensitive sites that could be considered a risk.

In 2016 around 40% of all feedstock supplied to Drax originated as a sawmill residue. Processes such as thinning also serve as a source of biomass feedstock, while also benefitting the overall health and quality of the forest. Thinning a semi mature stand of trees allows the forest owner to maximise the production of higher value saw-timber trees, storing more carbon and generating more stable revenue streams. Having a variety of wood products markets from saw logs through to biomass incentivises land owners to maintain healthy forests and reduces the risk of conversion of forest to agriculture or urban development.

3. Carbon savings and emissions should be properly accounted

To understand the effectiveness of biomass sustainability policy, carbon savings need to be measured.

Factors such as fossil fuel substitution and the emissions associated with harvesting, processing and transporting biomass are relatively straightforward to measure.

4. Bioenergy should be limited to what can be sustainably supplied

Unlike coal or oil, which will eventually run out, more trees can be planted, grown and harvested.

That said, there is a natural limit to the amount of biomass available on the planet, and so it should not be considered an infinite resource. This is why it’s crucial biomass is sourced from sustainable forests managed following set guidelines. In short, to ensure biomass truly is sustainable, it is essential that working forests are actively managed and maintain or increase productivity.

5. Support should be given to all technologies that achieve significant carbon savings

One of the major advantages of biomass over other renewable sources is its potential to help the UK rapidly adapt to meet the EU target of achieving 27% of final energy consumption from renewables.

The fastest way for biomass to make an impact to the UK’s carbon emissions is through converting coal power stations to biomass, as is the case at Drax Power Station.

This repurposing of existing facilities not only offers rapid adoption of renewable energy, but also the ability to provide vital ancillary services other renewable sources can’t.

Quickly deploying biomass solutions in this manner will serve to help it become an established part of the energy system as it continues to decarbonise.

6. The efficient use of raw materials is supported by encouraging buoyant forest biomass markets

Globally, there are substantial amounts of forest residue and forestry industry by-products that currently go unused.

Biomass should be sourced from regions where the largest surpluses exist and the forest carbon balance can be maintained. To enable this to function effectively on a global scale, trade restrictions should be avoided.

Pelletisation offers one of the most efficient ways for this raw material to be used by making it safe, cost-efficient and low-carbon to transport around the world.

These principals are tried and tested by Drax and known to protect forests and ecosystems, as well as optimise supply chains to ensure carbon emissions are kept to a minimum. Ultimately, Drax’s experience in sustainably using biomass serve as a guide for other producers and governments to quickly decarbonise energy systems.

7. The sustainability of forest biomass should be independently verified

One of the best ways to guarantee biomass is sourced sustainably is by introducing third-parties and official guidelines that generators and suppliers can work with.

In Europe, forest level management certification schemes can act as an effective indicator that forests are managed in accordance with the guidelines laid out by Forest Europe. Outside of Europe, where Drax sources most of its biomass, independent, third part auditors can ensure the UK’s stringent criteria are being met on the ground.

Read the full report: The 7 Principles of a Sustainable Forest Biomass Policy – Proven to Work