Drax agrees to meet with Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission following BBC investigation

The BBC Panorama investigation challenged Drax’s claim that it only uses sawdust and waste wood for the wood pellets which it burns to produce energy.

The investigation reported that Drax had been felling trees from environmentally-important forests in Canada in order to produce these pellets.

Drax has criticised the BBC reporting and said following the programme, 80 per cent of material used to make its pellets are sa wmill residues with the rest being “waste material collected from the forests which would otherwise be burned to reduce the risk of wildfires and disease”.

Bruce Heppenstall, plant director at Drax Power Station, is among the dozens of commissioners on the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, which last year put forward a 50-point action plan to get the region to net zero.

Following the programme airing on Monday, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission account tweeted: “We have today written to Drax Group to request a meeting to consider their sustainability policies and practices, particularly when it comes to the sourcing of the wood pellets that they produce in North America, and their alignment with our principles and commitments.”

Drax told The Yorkshire Post today that it had agreed to the meeting.

A Drax spokesperson said: “We value our partnership with the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and share their aims of promoting effective responses to climate change across the region, including through the use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

“We have invited the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission to Drax to discuss our position on climate, nature and sustainability as well as to understand our plans for BECCS and the wider decarbonisation of the Humber.”

A representative from the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission said: “We are pleased that Drax has agreed to our request for a meeting with them to discuss their sustainability policies and principles. We look forward to meeting with them in due course.

“Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission was formed in 2021 to bring together public, private and third sector actors to support, guide and track the delivery of ambitious climate actions across the region.

“The Commission is an independent entity that informs and works with initiatives across Yorkshire and Humber, promoting climate resilience and the transition to net-zero emissions in a positive, constructive and evidence-based way.”

As burning wood pellets is considered green energy, Drax has already received £6bn in green energy subsidies.

Drax said that it uses sustainable biomass to produce 12 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity, and “plays a critical role in keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses across the country”.