DRAX POWER STATION

Drax Power Station

Drax Power Station

Introduction

Claiming to be the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station in the UK, the 4,000MW Drax plant supplies around 7% of the UK's electricity needs. Drax is located in Selby, Yorkshire (UK), and is owned by Drax Power Limited (the operating subsidiary of Drax Group).

In 2008 Drax Power began an £80m co-firing upgrade project that will reduce the company's CO2 usage by 12.5%, or 2.5 million tons, per year. The existing co-firing facility of the plant will provide 500MW of renewable electricity by operating alongside the new 400MW facility(Hontelez, 2008).

In 2007 Drax decided to invest about £100m in a turbine upgrade project that reduced carbon usage by 5%. Drax is also planning to develop a 300MW Ouse Renewable Energy Plant with a capacity of 300MW. It will be located immediately to the north of the main plant.

Reduced emissions

Emissions from the plant are controlled. The generators are fitted with flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) equipment that removes 90% of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from emissions. Drax also uses retrofitting boosted over fire air (BOFA) technology for its boilers to reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX).

Byproducts of the coal combustion and FGD processes are recycled for the construction industry. Any ash from the combustion process that is not sold is deposited in an ash disposal site. Previously derelict land, the disposal site has been reclaimed and restored for agricultural use and woodland planting.

Drax Power is the owner of Drax Power Station, the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired plant in the UK. For the past year Drax Power has been developing the capability to co-fire biomass materials, and in so doing is eligible to earn Renewables Obligation Certificates(Hontelez, 2008).

Energy Balance

Reducing CO2

We are committed to reducing our emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and have announced two major initiatives that together will save over three million tonnes of CO2 each year. The largest steam turbine modernisation project in UK history will see our high pressure and low pressure turbines upgraded and on completion will save one million tonnes of CO2 a year. And our target to produce 12.5% of our output from renewables by mid 2010 will, in addition, save over two and a half million tonnes of CO2 a year. We have a very important role to play in the transition towards a low carbon economy.

Improving thermal efficiency

We have committed to a £100 million capital investment programme to upgrade our high pressure and low pressure turbines. The result will be an improvement in our overall baseload efficiency of 5%, taking it towards 40%, and an annual saving of one million tonnes of CO2.

Co - firing Project

Co-firing renewable biomass materials with coal has emerged as a credible renewable technology and is the quickest and most cost effective way for us to drive down emissions of CO2, but, the policy framework must facilitate this.

Biomass is typically at three to five times more expensive than coal, once all factors are considered, and we cannot embark upon a ...