Drax: Government refuses to comment after Tories drop support for controversial green energy plans
The Labour Government has refused to comment after a senior Conservative politician revealed her opposition to controversial green energy plans at Drax’s North Yorkshire power station.
Writing in an op-ed piece for The Times, Shadow Energy Secretary, Claire Coutinho, said that she had previously faced “enormous pressure” from officials to pass legislation for the plans, but that the case for the technology had “simply unravelled” after closer inspection.
The move marks a U turn for the Conservative Party, whose leader Rishi Sunak had previously given vocal support to the plans whilst Prime Minister.
When contacted by The Yorkshire Post, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which is now run by Yorkshire MP Ed Miliband, declined to comment on the statements made by the former Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ms Coutinho.
Drax, which produces around four per cent of the UK’s electricity, is developing a method of energy production known as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).This involves the burning of wood pellets to produce energy, which Drax now does at four of its units in Selby.
The company is also developing carbon capture technology, which would capture the CO2 emitted during this burning and store it underground.
Supporters claim that bioenergy is carbon neutral, as the trees used to produce the wood pellets sequester CO2 during growth.
The technology has proved highly controversial, however, with multiple politicians and environmental groups claiming that the time taken for trees to regrow and absorb CO2 does not currently match the scale at which it is being emitted during burning.
Writing in The Times, Coutinho added: “If the widespread burning of forests is part of the solution to climate change, then we have to ask ourselves what problem we are trying to solve.”
Her comments come after earlier this week, environmental groups including Greenpeace wrote to the Government to call for an end to subsidies for biomass, through which Drax has received billions of pounds since 2012.
A Government spokesperson previously said in response to the letter: "We expect full compliance with all regulatory obligations on biomass – consumers rightly expect the highest standard of accountability from generators.
“The subsidies for large-scale biomass generators will end in 2027 and we are reviewing evidence on potential support beyond this.”
Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group, described the Shadow Energy Secretary’s comments as “reckless and irresponsible”, adding: “It is deeply disappointing that [The Conservative Party] now care more about political point scoring than the country’s ongoing energy security and ability to meet net zero.
“In Government, the party acknowledged the key role Drax Power Station, the country’s largest source of renewable power, plays in keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
“As Secretary of State for DESNZ, Claire Coutinho’s name is on the planning approval for Drax’s plans for BECCS at the Selby site. The decision letter clearly stated that the project will support the transition to net zero by 2050.”
Drax was previously the subject of an investigation from the BBC which claimed the company was sourcing wood for its pellets from primary and rare forests in Canada.
The company maintains that its wood pellets are sustainably and legally harvested.
In August of this year, Drax agreed to pay a penalty of £25m after a probe by energy industry regulator Ofgem found that the company had failed to properly report data on the types of wood it used for biomass pellets between April 2021 and March 2022.
Mr Gardiner, said at the time that the company remains confident in the “robust systems” it has in place to demonstrate that it meets the strict sustainability criteria set out in UK law.