Greenhouse gas removals review could boost Drax carbon capture plans

Carbon capture aims to trap harmful by-product gases, compress them, and store them underground or elsewhere, depending on the technology.

The fledgling technology is touted as an alternative to releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

The terms of reference say the review is not centred on any particular projects, but Drax is hoping it will give its carbon storage proposal clarity.

The biomass power station, in Selby, North Yorkshire, is responsible for around four per cent of the UK’s total energy.

From 2031, Drax hopes to have Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) installed, linking to two of the four generating units at the Selby site.

This would see the emissions from burning wood pellets captured and stored underground.

In its annual report published yesterday, the firm said “clear Government policy support and milestones are required to unlock further investment in the development” of its own carbon capture project.

Richard Gwilliam, Drax’s UK BECCS programme director, said: “The launch of the Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs) Review is an important moment for carbon removal technologies.

“We believe that the deployment of large-scale GGRs in the UK could spread billions of pounds of investment across the country, create thousands of jobs, provide power to millions and fight global warming.

“Our BECCS project could remove up to 8m tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere per year, equivalent to taking 3m petrol cars off of the road, and would help transform the UK into a global leader in tackling climate change."

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief executive, Henri Murison, added: “This region’s destiny is to create economic value from the transition to net zero.

“As part of a wider carbon capture and storage network, GGR will generate jobs and reduce down existing emissions. Not just here, but around the world with the technologies we apply, we can scale globally.”

In its annual report, Drax also said it was progressing its plans to potentially use one of the Selby plants biomass units to power a data centre for artificial intelligence.

It explained: “We have received positive engagement with data centre providers in relation to the potential to co-locate a data centre with biomass generation and Drax continues to explore such opportunities.”

Matt Williams, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “In 2024 Drax imported and burned significantly more wood than the previous year.

“This only raises fresh questions about why the Government has decided to carry on paying Drax billions of our money after 2027.”