US clean electricity study gives boost to Drax's £2bn carbon capture plans

Plans for a pioneering £2bn carbon capture project at Drax power station in Yorkshire have been given a boost by the findings of a major US study, the company’s CEO has said.

A new report from America’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on ways to deliver President Joe Biden’s goal of 100% clean electricity in the States by 2035 has highlighted the potential importance of a process known as BECCS (bioenergy for carbon capture and storage) – which Drax hopes to deploy in Yorkshire in the coming years.

The company says its plans for two BECCS units in Yorkshire – which would remove greenhouse emissions from the atmosphere that are produced by burning biomass fuel - could allow it to capture eight million tonnes of CO2 per year. The would make it the largest carbon capture and storage project in power in the world.

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The NREL report states: “BECCs results in a net negative emissions rate because carbon from the atmosphere is captured during photosynthesis and then sequestered after combustion.

The sun sets at Drax Power Station, near Selby. Picture by Simon HulmeThe sun sets at Drax Power Station, near Selby. Picture by Simon Hulme
The sun sets at Drax Power Station, near Selby. Picture by Simon Hulme

"The use of negative emissions technologies allows for continued operation of fossil plants without CCS even at 100% clean electricity because of the ability to achieve net-zero emissions.”

But the report also notes that the performance and cost of BECCS and other carbon capture technologies are “highly uncertain given their low levels of current deployment”.

Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said: “The evidence couldn’t be any clearer - only through deploying BECCS at scale can the United States cut its carbon emissions while simultaneously benefitting from reliable, homegrown renewable power to strengthen its energy independence.

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“BECCS is vital because it can produce reliable renewable power whilst also permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – no other technology does both.

“Drax is the world’s leader in developing power BECCS, having been the first company in the world to capture carbon dioxide from purely biomass combustion. We have been making very encouraging progress towards in delivering BECCS in North America and progressing with site selection, government engagement and technology development

“With the right support from governments, such as the increase in the level of support for carbon removal projects in the Inflation Reduction Act, we stand ready to invest billions in deploying BECCS at scale across the globe to cut carbon emissions and generate renewable power for millions of homes and businesses.”

Drax Power Station currently produces around 12 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity, by burning biomass fuel, which is mainly wood pellets imported from North America.

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Last month, The Guardian newspaper obtained leaked recordings of Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary and likely next Chancellor, telling MPs that Drax’s current model currently was “not sustainable” as it doesn’t help reduce carbon emissions.

However, Whitehall sources told The Yorkshire Post that Drax’s implementation of the new technology would be key to the UK’s future energy security.

“BECCS is the only sustainable way to continue biomass in the way it removes emissions from the atmosphere. [Drax] is by far the single largest renewable energy generator in Britain, it is critical to energy security.”

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