Appliance of green science helps Drax put fizz back into pub trade

But now Drax, the country’s biggest power station has met with the British Beer & Pub Association to see if it can help add some extra fizz to the nation’s pints.

Drax, which owns Britain’s biggest power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, is about to begin a pilot trialling the first Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) project of its kind in Europe, which could make the renewable power generated at Drax carbon negative.

If successful, the BECCS project could also help to secure future access to CO2 for the UK’s breweries and pubs.

During a six-month trial, due to get underway in the next few months, a tonne of CO2 could be captured and stored each day from one of the power station’s biomass fuelled generating units.

A spokesman said: “That’s enough to produce the fizz for 32,000 pints of beer a day – equivalent to 5.7 million over the course of the six-month project, which is more than enough to put the bubbles in a pint for everyone in Yorkshire.

“If successful, the technology being trialled could be scaled up to capture even more CO2 at the power station – the largest single site renewable power generator in the country.”

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO said: “We’re excited to be discussing our BECCS project with the BBPA. This pilot not only has the potential to ensure the UK meets its climate targets, but for the carbon captured to also help to keep the nation’s beer from going flat – and we’d certainly raise a glass to that.”