Plans for world’s largest carbon capture and storage project in Yorkshire

22.08.22

Plans to build the world’s largest carbon capture facility at Drax power station in North Yorkshire could soon get the green light from government, in what would be a huge boost for the green industrial revolution for the north of England.

A few weeks ago Whitehall launched a consultation on potential business models for biomass energy fitted with carbon capture technology (BECCS) – a process which takes CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere that are produced by burning the fuel.

If development consent is approved and with the right support from government, BECCS at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire could permanently remove 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from 2030.  

Drax already supports  6,600 supply chain jobs in the north, generating around £700m a year for the region’s economy and that will increase significantly when work begins on its BECCS initiative – with 10,000 jobs supported at the project’s peak.

Drax aims to source 80% of the services and materials for the project from British businesses. 

It recently signed an agreement with British Steel to explore opportunities to source steel needed for its BECCS project from British Steel’s Scunthorpe and Teesside plants. 

The company plans to invest £2bn in the 2020s in its plans to develop two bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) units, creating and supporting thousands of jobs in the North and enabling the UK to lead the world in a vital new technology needed to address the climate crisis.

Work to build BECCS at Drax could start as soon as 2024 and once operational the two units combined will capture at least 8 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, making it the largest carbon capture and storage project in power in the world.

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Plant Director, said: “As someone who lives and works here in Yorkshire, I am incredibly excited about the opportunities BECCS at Drax could bring to communities across the North – this will be the world’s biggest carbon capture in power project, and it will be transformative for the region’s economy.

“Drax is ready to invest £2bn in the project and work to build BECCS could get underway as soon as 2024, creating and supporting around 10,000 jobs at peak construction, helping to kickstart a whole new sector of the economy. 

“BECCS is going to play a vital part in the UK’s long-term energy security as well as the country’s climate targets. It is the only technology which can deliver reliable, renewable electricity, whilst also removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”