Biomass moves into Drax
The largest power station in the UK, Drax, is set to receive a makeover as company owners embark on a move that could see the plant eventually adopt a 100% green status.
One of the plant’s six boilers, which are currently fired with coal, will be converted to enable it to process biomass.
Drax has been utilising biomass for the generation of power for the last seven years but this has been overshadowed by the large quantities of coal with which it has been fired.
Chief executive of Drax Dorothy Thompson explained that until recently the potential of biomass was slipping by unnoticed.
Burning biomass in one boiler and continuing to fire the renewable materials alongside coal in four of the remaining boilers has the potential to cut the facility’s CO2 emissions by 4.4 million tonnes a year, the equivalent to taking 1.2 million cars off the road.
One of the plant’s six boilers, which are currently fired with coal, will be converted to enable it to process biomass.
Drax has been utilising biomass for the generation of power for the last seven years but this has been overshadowed by the large quantities of coal with which it has been fired.
Chief executive of Drax Dorothy Thompson explained that until recently the potential of biomass was slipping by unnoticed.
Burning biomass in one boiler and continuing to fire the renewable materials alongside coal in four of the remaining boilers has the potential to cut the facility’s CO2 emissions by 4.4 million tonnes a year, the equivalent to taking 1.2 million cars off the road.
