Ready to deliver

Extract from my keynote address at the Utility Week Investor Summit

My company Drax has been at the heart of Britain’s energy system for decades. And we have played a key role in the decarbonisation of the power sector: Drax Power Station in Selby, North Yorkshire, is the UK’s largest power station and Europe’s largest decarbonisation project. Cruachan, our Scottish Pumped Storage facility, is a key complement to Britain’s ever-increasing supply of offshore wind.

Our transition from coal to biomass has allowed us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by over 80% while providing clean and flexible energy to millions of homes and businesses across the UK. This month saw the end of commercial coal generation at Drax power station – a milestone in the history of our company and of the UK economy, too.

But the drive to create a more sustainable, net zero economy means that we cannot stop here. 

Which is why at Drax we have committed to a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030.

We will achieve this by increasing our capacity to generate renewable electricity, and by making a transformational investment in bioenergy with CCS, or BECCS, which will enable us to permanently remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

At Drax, we stand ready to invest hundreds of millions of pounds to make this happen – and put the UK at the forefront of global efforts to reach net zero emissions while helping create tens of thousands of green jobs in the North of England. 

Discover more in my full speech at Drax.com