Drax proposes a cleaner, greener future

The largest coal-fired power station in the UK, Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, has become the single largest renewable generator in the UK and one of Europe’s biggest electricity generators following the launch of its new biomass facilities.

The £700million planned biomass conversion of three of its six generating units is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent by burning wood pellets rather than coal.  Each converted unit will provide enough low carbon energy to meet the power needs of around 1 million homes.

The conversion also brings the safeguarding of 1,200 jobs alongside another 2,000 jobs which could be created as part of the White Rose project, also based at the site.  This project will design a £2billion state-of-the-art coal power plant with full Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology that will make clean electricity available to more than 630,000 homes.  The CCS technology present will also have the potential to safely capture 90% of the Drax plant’s emissions, building a clean energy industry in the region.

White Rose is the first project to be allocated funds under the government’s £1billion CCS Commercialisation programme. CSS permits the safe removal and permanent storage of carbon dioxide emissions from coal and gas power stations.

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