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‘Going green’ at Drax
Pictured at Drax Power Station is production director Peter Emery. Picture: Tony Saxton L8349TS
IT’S green for go for Drax Power Station’s first eco-friendly biomass generator with an April deadline for the first green unit to go online.
Drax production director Peter Emery (right) said he was hopeful of three planned green generators up and running by 2015 with an investment of £300 million and 50 per cent of total electricity output at Drax would be green.
He said biomass power production would safeguard 800 current jobs with a further 40 employees recruited once all three biomass units were producing electricity. He said that in addition 1,500 contractors were currently on site putting the biomass generators in place.
He added: “These are exciting times. We shall continue to source raw material pellets for the biomass units locally including 30 to 50,000 tonnes of oat husks from a supplier in Goole. In addition we shall increasingly get pellet supplies from the Baltic States, Africa, Russia and elsewhere.”
When asked about the year-on-year drop in company profits of ten per cent over the past few years he said: “One of the main reasons for a drop in profits is the rise in CO2 costs. From January this year we have no free CO2 allowances for the amount the plant produces so our costs increase. In the long-term we are trying to develop different electricity generating options for the site.
“This would include converting three existing coal units to biomass. Another would be to develop a carbon capture and storage facility. We are determined to develop our green strategy and to increasingly use green power to fulfil our government green pledge to reduce emissions.” He said despite a fall in profits 2012 figures were in line with expectations. In addition there was record output of 27.1TWh and a strong balance sheet of £311 million net cash at December 31 2012. Chief executive of Drax Dorothy Thompson said: “Last year was pivotal for Drax. After ten years developing significant knowledge and experience in all aspects of sustainable biomass in place of coal at our power station, we now have a mandate, means and expertise to transform the business into a predominantly biomass-fuelled generator.”
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Friday 24 May 2013
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