DRAX,Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Date: 2020-06-26
In the UK, Drax Group and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (MHIE) are reporting a new 12-month bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project at the Drax Power Station in the Humber region, North Yorkshire.

The pilot, which is expected to get underway this autumn, will test two of MHI's proprietary solvents -- KS-1TM Solvent which is presently being used at 13 commercial plants including Petra Nova in Texas where it is capturing 1.4 million tpy of CO2 , and KS-21TM Solvent which is designed to achieve significant performance improvements and cost savings, according to MHIE.

Implementing BECCS at Drax could deliver 16 million tpy of negative emissions -- a third of the negative emissions the UK needs from BECCS to reach its zero carbon targets by 2050, according to DRAX. (Source: DRAX, MHI, Cdn. Biomass, 24 June, 2020) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44(0)1757 618381 www.drax.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,  DRAX,  CCS,  Biomass,  

DRAX
Date: 2020-06-01
"In the UK, I think wind power in 2050 probably will be 80 percent of the energy mix." -- Will Gardiner, CEO, DRAX CEO

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX news,  Wind news,  

DRAX
Date: 2020-06-01
"Once you move from local usage ... to extracting trees from distant countries and shipping them to a factory, you are adding quite a significant amount of additional CO2 to the atmosphere. It takes anything from several decades to centuries to recover through the growth (of new trees)." -- Michael Norton, Environment Programme Director, European Academies Science Advisory, May, 2020 Contact: EU European Academies Science Advisory Council, www.ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/organisation/easac-european-academies-science-advisory-council_en; DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

DRAX
Date: 2020-06-01
Situated in Yorkshire, northern England, the Drax Group power plant will complete its switch next year after embarking on a journey almost a decade ago to use organic matter alongside the fossil fuel to slash carbon emissions. The Drax operation, providing four million households with electricity, sees CO2 emitted from burnt wood captured by newly planted trees.

Four of the plant's six reactors use wood pellets and a carbon-capture system, while Drax intends on becoming carbon negative by 2030, by removing more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits. Drax adds that the switch, in line with UK government policy to ban the use of coal by 2025, allows it to keep the plant running and maintain 900 jobs. (Source: DRAX, France24, 30 May, 2020) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  

Drax,DRAX
Date: 2020-05-08
In North Yorkshire, UK power generation company DRAX Group has launched a Biomass Carbon Calculator to help to decarbonize the production and transportation of biomass pellets, used for low carbon energy generation.

The Biomass Carbon Calculator is in line with the company's drive to become carbon-negative by 2030 and the UK's effort to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050.

The calculator, which will use real-time supply chain data to improve emission reporting and identify points where carbon reductions can be made, in compliance with the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive II. (Source: DRAX, Trade Media,6 May, 2020) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Drax,  DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass Pellet,  Carbon Emissions,  

DRAX
Date: 2020-04-06
In the UK, the DRAX Power Station in North Yorkshire is reporting receipt of its 100th shipment of woody biomass for power generation from its three woody biomass pellet plants in the southern US.

Roughly two thirds of the 7.5 million tpy of sustainable biomass Drax uses comes from the company's US three pellet mills. Drax also has agreements with a number of other suppliers in the US and elsewhere around the world including in Canada, the Baltics and Portugal, according to a release. (Source: Drax, PR , April, 2020) Contact: Drax, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 07712 670 888,

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

Imperial College London
Date: 2020-02-19
A recently released report from Imperial College of London has found that levels of carbon emissions generated from power consumption in the UK fell by almost two-thirds in the last decade -- the fastest rate of decarbonisation in the world.

The research, conducted in partnership with research and insights company, Drax Insights, notes that emissions from power consumption dropped by a massive 14 pct in 2019, driven by the falling use of fossil fuels and increases in renewables which was eight-times higher in 2019 than in 2010 - with the combined capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydro having grown six-fold over the since 2010, from 5.2GW to 38.5GW. An 8 pct drop in energy demand was also a factor.

In the last decade power sector emissions fell from 161 million tonnes in 2010 to 54 million metric tonnes in 2019. (Source: Imperial College London, Smart Energy, 17 Feb., 2020) Contact: Imperial College London, www.imperial.ac.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  UK Carbon Emissions,  

Chatham House
Date: 2020-02-03
Further to our 23rd Feb., 2017 Chatham House, biomass and climate change report coverage, according to Net-Zero and Beyond -- What Role for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage?, new report from the London-headquartered NGO Chatham House, the UK Government is over-prioritizing carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and biomass in its net-zero plans and failing to account for the impact these technologies could have on land use.

The potential unintended consequences of scaling up biomass energy carbon capture and storage (BECCS} in the UK and assesses the extent to which the technologies could deliver true and sustainable decarbonisation to the energy sector.

BECCS has received a swathe of Government support and media coverage in recent times, both in the build-up to the ratification of the UK's 2050 net-zero goal, and after its implementation. Supporters of the technologies point out that biomass, unlike gas or other fossil fuels, is renewable, and that it is produces less emissions when burned. If these emissions can be captured for storage and reuse, the process can become carbon neutral or even carbon negative, firms including Drax have claimed.

The report, however, warns that BECCS is "no silver bullet" for a net-zero energy sector. It claims that there has not been enough research into the likely energy output of BECCS or the environmental impacts of scaling up biomass supply chains, making it difficult to determine whether BECCS systems can be carbon-neutral across the life cycle.

According to the report, deployment of BECCS at the scales assumed by the UK's modelling, on a global scale, would consume land equivalent to that currently accounted for by cropland. This could pose problems for food security, result in biodiversity loss and hamper plans to re-assess land-use in line with net-zero, Chatham House concludes. Chatham House claims that failures to account for biomass supply chain emissions undermine the assumption that BECCS systems are inherently carbon-neutral and is accordingly calling for stricter sustainability requirements for biomass feedstock and urging the Government to prioritise decarbonisation across carbon-intensive sectors, reshape its land-use strategies to ensure BECCS decisions are made after full considerations of all alternatives, both technology-based and nature-based.

Download the report HERE. (Source: Chatham House, edie news, February 2020) Contact: Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs, +44 (0) 20 7957 5710, contact@chathamhouse.org, www.chathamhouse.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News BECCS,  Chatham House,  Carbon Emissions,  Biomass,  Bioenergy,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-11-22
In the UK, power producer Drax Group plc, through its Drax Biomass subsidiary, report it plans to increase its present 1.5 million mtpy wood pellet production to 5 million mtpy by 2027. The company's three U.S plants will increase production by by 350,000 metric tpy over the next two years. Drax notes it is also looking at developing an additional 3 million mtpy of capacity over the next seven years.

According to a company statement, Drax produced 650,000 metric tons of wood pellets during the first half of 2019, a sligth drop from the same period in 2018. The company also noted the expansion in biomass capacity would allow it to develop an unsubsidized biomass generation business by 2027. (Source: DRAX, Biomass, 20 Nov., 2019) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass,  

Southern Environmental Law Center
Date: 2019-08-14
A new report by Spatial Informatics Group, LLC (SIG), commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and the National Wildlife Federation, takes a closer look at the carbon profile of wood pellets produced at Drax's three U.S. wood pellet mills.

The report found that the accumulated emissions of burning wood pellets from these U.S. mills to produce electricity in the UK increases carbon pollution in the atmosphere for more than 40 years -- well beyond the time-frame identified by the IPCC as critical for carbon reduction.

Download the report details HERE. (Source: Southern Environmental Law Center, 12 Aug., 2019) Contact: Southern Environmental Law Center, www.southernenvironment.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  Carbon Emissions,  Southern Environmental Law Center,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-06-24
In the UK, power plant operator DRAX and Nottingham-startup Deep Branch Biotechnology, a lab located at DRAX's giant power station in Yorkshire, reports the two organizations will explore ways to capture and process CO2 into protein for sustainable animal feed.

Deep Branch Biotechnology is to run the new pilot project within the DRAX power plant's Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) Incubation Area. For the pilot project, scientists will gather waste CO2 from energy generation and feed it to microbes which will use it to make single-cell proteins that could replace soy and fish meal in fish and livestock feeds.

Deep Branch claims it can convert "up to 60-70 pct of CO2 into protein, helping to both minimize the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during power generation and other industrial processes, whilst producing protein for animal feeds which will help reduce the impact of agricultural sectors on the environment as well."

The Deep Branch pilot, which is slated to get underway this autumn, aims to capture enough CO2 to produce 100kg of protein. If successful, Deep Branch Biotechnology plans to build a larger production facility by 2020. DRAX has been capturing CO2 since February through its Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project, which uses technology developed by Leeds University spin-out company C-Capture. (Source: Deep Branch Biotechnology, DRAX, June, 2019) Contact: Deep Branch Biotechnology, Peter Rowe, CEO, info@deepbranchbio.com, www.deepbranchbio.com; DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, www.drax.com; C-Capture, Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering, Tel/Fax +44 0 113 245 0418, www.c-capture.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News C-Capture,  CCUS,  DRAX,  CO2,  Carbon Capture,  

National Grid, Drax, Equinor
Date: 2019-05-29
In the UK, National Grid, Drax and Equinor are reporting they will partner to develop the country's first carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) hub in the Humber region. Under their initial plan, carbon emissions from the woody biomass-wood pellet burning Drax power station near Selby, could be captured and stored in disused gas fields in the southern North Sea. (Source: DRAX,Various Media, May, 2019)Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, www.drax.com; Equinor, www.equinor.com/en; UK National Grid, www2.nationalgrid.com/uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News CCS,  UK National Grid,  Drax ,  Equinor,  

Wood Pellet
Date: 2019-04-10
The recently released Global Wood Pellet Fuel Market Report research report assess the current as well as upcoming performance of the Wood Pellet Fuel market, market trends and the major players -- Drax Biomass Inc, Rentech, Inc, Enviva Partners, LP, German Pellets GmbH, Viridis Energy Inc, AS Graanul Invest, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc, Lignetics Of Idaho, Inc, Zilkha Biomass Energy, LLC, Land Energy Girvan Limited, Colombo Energy Inc, Premium Pellet Ltd, ECARE, Fram Renewable Fuels, Agon Biomass, Pellet power, Blue Sky Biomass, Bio Eneco Sdn Bhd, Schellinger & Co Muhlenwerke, Snow Timber Pellets LLC. The report also forecasts the future of Wood Pellet Fuel market on the basis on this evaluation.

Questions and additional information is HERE. (Source: Market & Research, Industry News Daily, 9 April, 2019)Contact: Markets and Research, www.marketsnresearch.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Wood Pellet,  Woody Biomass,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-02-27
Reuters notes UK power producer Drax Group Plc is reporting a 9 pct bump in full-year core earnings thanks to higher woody biomass pellet production and increased power generation from its biomass-fired power station near Selby in North Yorkshire. (Source: euronews, 26 Feb., 2019) Contact: DRAX , Will Gardiner, CEO, www.drax.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Woody Pellet,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-02-11
In the UK, DRAX, the UK's biggest renewable power generator is reporting the first BECCS demo pilot project of its kind in the world has begun capturing carbon dioxide at its biomass-fired power station near Selby in North Yorkshire. The pilot project uses proprietary solvent technology developed by University of Leeds spin-out C-Capture. The pilot project is the first-time CO2 has been captured from the combustion of a 100 biomass biomass feedstock anywhere in the world.

Drax has invested £400,000 in the pilot, which could be the first of several projects undertaken at the power station to deliver a rapid, lower cost demonstration of BECCS. According to the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, BECCS could enable the capture 50 million tpy of CO2 by 2050 -- approximately half the UK's emissions target.

As previously reported, DRAX converted two thirds of the Selby Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal making the plant the country's largest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

C-Capture designs world-leading, patented chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal.The company's solvent-based technology offers a safe, low-cost way to remove CO2 from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion. (Source: DRAX, PR, 7 Feb., 2019) Contact: University of Leeds, www.leeds.ac.uk; C-CAPTURE, Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering, www.c-capture.co.uk; DRAX , Will Gardiner, CEO, www.drax.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Carbon Capture,  C-CAPTURE,  CO2,  CCS,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-02-11
In the UK, the nation's largest renewable power energy generator DRAX is reporting the nation's first Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) pilot project at its power station near Selby in North Yorkshire has begun capturing carbon dioxide.

The "first of its kind" demonstration plant uses innovative technology developed by Leeds University spin-out C-Capture to capture CO2 from the combustion of a 100 pct biomass feedstock. The pilot plant was commissioned last November.

Drax has invested £400,000 in the pilot, which could be the first of several projects undertaken at the power station to deliver a rapid, lower cost demonstration of BECCS. According to the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, BECCS could enable the capture of 50 million tpy by 2050 -- almost half of the UK's emissions target.

Drax operates electric power generation and compressed wood biomass pellet production operations across the UK, including the woddy biomass-fired Selby, North Yorkshire plant which supplies fully 6 pct of the country's electricity needs.

C-Capture's proprietary solvent-based chemical processes removes CO2 from emissions sources such as power stations, industrial plants and anaerobic digestion. (Source: DRAX, PR, 7 Feb., 2019) Contact: University of Leeds, www.leeds.ac.uk; C-CAPTURE, Caspar Schoolderman, Director of Engineering , www.c-capture.co.uk; DRAX , Will Gardiner, CEO, www.drax.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

ClientEarth,DRAX
Date: 2019-01-30
In the UK, London-headquartered environmental law specialist ClientEarth is warning DRAX Powers' planned gas plant in Selby, North Yorkshire would produce 75 pct of the country's entire power sector emissions budget.

The DRAX proposal for four combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) was warranted to replace its existing two coal-fired units ahead of the government's proposed coal phase-out in 2025. However,ClientEarth's assessment of the DRAX plans noted the project's scale, high emissions intensity and expected long operating life combined make it a "significant" threat to the UK achieving its carbon targets. ClientEarth also noted "DRAX has failed to prove why adding so much new large-scale fossil fuel power is necessary given existing and planned capacity. It has also failed to assess the project's full climate impact, at the precise time when the UK needs to rapidly decarbonize."

The UK government estimates the UK will need 6GW of new gas power generation capacity through to 2035. Approving DRAX project would take this to 18GW -- three times the government's estimates.

As previously reported, Drax announced that it is to pilot the first bioenergy carbon capture storage (BECCS) project of its kind in Europe which could make the renewable electricity produced at its North Yorkshire power station carbon negative. DRAX partnered with Leeds, UK-based C-Capture who invested £400,000 in what could be the first of several pilot projects undertaken at DRAX. (Source: DRAX, Air Quality News, Jan., 2019) Contact: ClientEarth, Sam Hunter Jones, Jon Bennett, +44 (0) 303 050 5935, jbennett@clientearth.org, www.clientearth.org; DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Biomass,  Carbon Emissions,  

ScottishPower Generation Group , DRAX
Date: 2019-01-07
Further to our 19th October, 2018 coverage, Glasgow-headquartered Scottish Power is reporting that with the completion of its £700 million assets sale to Drax, the company is now the first in the UK to rely completely on renewable wind power.

Selby, UK-based Drax purchased Scottish Power's portfolio of pumped storage, hydro and gas-fired generation, which comprises Scottish Power Generation Group and its wholly owned subsidiary, SMW.

The assets sale included the 440-MW Cruachan pumped storage hydro electric scheme in Argyll and Bute; run-of-river hydro locations at Galloway and Lanark; (126MW); a biomass-from-waste facility at Daldowie; and four Combined Cycle Gas Turbine stations in England. (Source: DRAX Group, The National, 3 Jan., 2019) Contact: Scottish Power, Keith Anderson, CEO, +44 800 027 0072, www.scottishpower.co.uk; DRAX Power, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Scottish Power ,  DRAX,  Renewable Energy,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-01-02
In the UK, Drax Power Station, near Selby, in North Yorkshire, is reporting the completion of its £702 million acquisition of Spanish firm Iberdrola's low-carbon and renewable assets - including hydroelectric and biomass plants in Scotland and combined cycle gas turbine stations in England .

The new power station acquisitions will increase DRAX's electric power generation capacity by 60 pct and add 2.6GW of generation.

DRAX, the UK's largest renewable energy generator, operates biomass units at its site near Selby, following a decade-long conversion of two-thirds of the plant from coal fired to more sustainable biomass. (Source: DRAX, PR, 1 Jan., 2018) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  

DRAX
Date: 2018-11-28
Further to our August 20th coverage, in the UK DRAX Energy reports it has begun work on a pilot project to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions at its biomass plant in North Yorkshire. The facility burns woody sawdust pellets to operate the world's first carbon negative power station, according to DRAX.

The UK aims to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 pct compared with 1990 levels by 2050. (Source: DRAX, Investing.com, 26 Nov., 2018))Contact: DRAX Power, Andy Koss, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  CCS,  Carbon Storage,  CO2,  Woody Biomass,  

Scottish Power,DRAX
Date: 2018-10-19
Glasgow-headquartered Scottish Power reports that with the £702 million sale of its last coal-fired and hydro power plants to DRAX, it will become the first major UK energy company to generate all its electricity from wind power. Scottish Power now plans to invest £5.2 billion over four years to more than double its renewables capacity.

Scottish Power scuttled all of its coal plants over the last 10 years and now has 2,700 MW of wind power capacity operating or under construction in the UK. It also has 3,000 MW of projects in the planning stage.

Drax runs the UK's largest power plant near Selby in North Yorkshire and is moving away from coal ahead of a government deadline for an emissions limit on coal plants from 2025. To date the company has converted four of its six generating units to burn wood pellets. The Selby plant is believed to be the first bioenergy carbon capture storage (Beccs) project of its type in Europe. (Source: DRAX, BBC, 16 Oct., 2018) Contact: Scottish Power, Keith Anderson, CEO, +44 800 027 0072, www.scottishpower.co.uk; DRAX Power, Andy Koss, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Scottish Power,  DRAX,  Biomass,  Carbon Capture,  

DRAX,Energy Technologies Institute
Date: 2018-08-20
In the UK, Energy group DRAX reports it is in talks with the British Beer & Pub Association to explore whether the CO2 captured during its bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) could be used in beer making and could supply sufficient CO2 to add fizz to 32,000 pints of beer a day. DRAX estimates that the unit will capture and store at least a tonne of CO2 each day - enough to carbonate 5.7 million pints of beer over the six-month period.

If the trial proves successful, Drax will look into scaling up the CCS technology to capture more CO2 from the power station in future, with a view to sending the captured carbon to be used as a resource by corporates in other industries.

according to The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), CCS is the most cost-effective way of meeting climate change targets and needs to be deployed sooner rather than later. ETI also notes that UK has "more than enough" potential CCS sites to meet legally binding 2050 carbon targets, and estimates that BECCS could deliver roughly 55 million tpy of net negative emissions in the UK -- approximately half the nation's emissions target -- by the 2050s. (Source: DRAX, edie News, 13 Aug., 2018)Contact: Drax Power, Andy Koss, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com:; Energy Technologies Institute, Dennis Gammer, CCS Strategy Manager, www.eti.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Energy Technologies Institute ,  CO2,  Carbon Capture,  

DRAX,Siemens
Date: 2018-08-01
In the UK, DRAX Power is reporting Siemens will upgrade turbines on three biomass units at the DRAX generation facility in North Yorkshire, at a cost of £40 million. Work on the 3 year contract is slated to get underway in 2019.

Drax, which upgraded three of its coal burning units to biomass with a fourth currently being converted, plans to repower the plant's two remaining coal units to natural gas and to develop up to 200MW of battery energy storage. (Source: DRAX Power, Siemens, RE, 31 July, 2018) Contact: Drax Power, Andy Koss, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com, www.draxbiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX Bio,  Biomass,  Siemens,  

Biomass
Date: 2018-06-18
The Global Biomass Pellet Market research report from QY investigates both historical data and current advancements in the market to provide map a reasonable trajectory of the biomass pellet market for an unbiased overview of the biomass pellet market.

The report includes market trends, essential variables, difficulties, opportunities, and future market development and prospects. The report also tracks the emerging applications, innovative technologies, and mergers & acquisitions.

According to the report, key players include: German Pellets, Enviva, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Group, Pacific BioEnergy Corporation, Vyborgskaya Cellulose, Rentech, Graanul Invest Group, RWE Innogy, Lignetics, E-pellet, Drax Biomass, General Biofuels, BlueFire Renewables, Pfeifer Group. Geographis areas covered include: Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle-East & Africa and North America.

Pellet biofuels are made from a wide variety of compressed organic matter -- biomass including industrial waste and co-products, food waste, agricultural residues, energy crops, and virgin lumber. The factors driving the growth of the market include low GHG emission from biomass, increased government initiatives for renewable technologies, need for constant energy supply and massive untapped biomass potential.

Global Biomass Pellet Market report details are available HERE. (Source: QY Reports, Pr, June, 2018) Contact: QY Reports, +91-9764607607, sales@qyreports.com, www.qyreports.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

DRAX,C-Capture
Date: 2018-05-21
In the UK, DRAX Power reports it will pilot the first Bioenergy Carbon Capture Storage (BECCS) project of its kind in Europe at its biomass-fired power station in North Yorkshire. For the demonstration project, DRAX will partner with Leeds-based C-Capture and invest £ 400,000 in what could be the first of several pilot projects. C-Capture is a spin-out from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Leeds, established through funding from IP Group.

BECCS is important to the climate change fight because the technology will remove the greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere at the same time as electricity is produced and not contribute to climate change. A 2016 report by the Energy Technology Institute (ETI) suggests that by the 2050s BECCS could deliver roughly 55 million tpy of net negative emissions in the UK -- almost half the nation's emissions target. (Source: DRAX Power, The Business Desk, 21 May, 2018) Contact: DRAX Group, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com; C-Capture, Chris Rayner, founder of C-Capture and Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Leeds, www.c-capture.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Biomass,  CCS,  

UK Renewable Energy
Date: 2018-02-23
. February 22 (Renewables Now) - Electric Insights is reporting the UK's renewable power production jumped 27 pct in 2017 to 96 TWh. By way of illustration, the entire population of Britain used 91 TWh of electricity in 1958, 92 pct of which came from coal.

In 2017, coal generated 7 pct of the country's electricity while fully 50 pct came from biomass, hydro, wind and solar, according to a joint report from low carbon sources, according to the Imperial College London and Drax Group Plc report. (Source: Imperial College London, Renewables Mow, 22 Feb., 2018) Contact: DRAX, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com; Imperial College London, Iain Staffell, +44 20 7589 5111, www.imperial.ac.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Imperial College London,  DraxRenewables,  Renewable Energy,  UK Renewable Energy,  

UMass Lowell, MIT
Date: 2018-01-17
New research from researchers at MIT, Climate Interactive, and UMass Lowell has found that that displacing coal with wood for power generation can make climate change worse for many decades or more.

In the new study, Does Replacing Coal with Wood Lower CO2 Emissions? Dynamic Lifecycle Analysis of Wood Bioenergy the researchers -- John Sterman, the Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management at MIT Sloan School of Management;Juliette Rooney-Varga, Director of the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative; and Lori Siegel, PhD, Senior Modeler for Climate Interactive -- examine the climate impact of replacing coal power generation in the EU and UK with wood pellets sourced from forests in the Southern US..

The researchers found that wood pellets burned in European and UK power plants, such as the Drax facility in North Yorkshire actually emit more CO2 per kilowatt hour than that generated by coal. This is because wood is both less efficient at the point of combustion and has larger processing and supply chain emissions than coal. Their research shows that using wood instead of coal in power generation increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, worsening climate change until -- and only if -- the harvested forests regrow.

US forests are a main source for EU wood pellet imports, which have been rising as demand has grown. These forests grow back slowly, so it takes a long time -- 40 years or more -- to repay the initial 'carbon debt' incurred by burning wood instead of coal.

The researchers also explored an increasingly common scenario in which hardwood forests harvested for bioenergy are replaced with faster-growing loblolly pine plantations. Surprisingly, replanting with fast-growing pine plantations worsens the CO2 impact of wood because managed plantations do not sequester as much carbon as natural forests.

The research found that continued growth in wood use, as many predict, will worsen climate change throughout the rest of this century, or longer. This is because the first impact of substituting wood for coal in power generation is an increase in CO2 emissions. For countries using wood bioenergy as a component of their climate policies this could take them backwards. Indeed, bioenergy from wood made up 44 pct of the EU's renewable energy production in 2015.

Critically, the analysis doesn't support continued coal use as it is the most carbon intensive fuel and a major contributor to climate change. The researchers stress energy efficiency, solar, wind and storage as the cheapest, safest, and quickest ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Access the , Does Replacing Coal with Wood Lower CO2 Emissions? Dynamic Lifecycle Analysis of Wood Bioenergy Report HERE. (Source: MIT Sloan School of Management, Jan., 2018) Contact: MIT Sloan School of Management, John Sterman, Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management, (617) 253-1557, mitsloan.mit.edu; Climate Interactive, www.climateinteractive.org; UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative, (978) 934-4000, www.uml.edu/Research/Climate-Change

More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,  Woody Biomass,  Forest Biomass,  

BRAX Biomass
Date: 2017-12-15
Drax Biomass Inc. reports it has begun began wood pellet production at its newest facility, LaSalle BioEnergy in Urania, Louisiana. Drax purchased the plant for $35,4 million through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process back in April 2017. Louisiana Pellets was previously owned by bankrupted German Pellets.

LaSalle BioEnergy is the company's third pellet plant, following Morehouse BioEnergy in Bastrop, Louisiana and Amite BioEnergy in Gloster, Mississippi. The wood pellet plant can produce approximately 450,000 metric tpy of wood pellets . (Source: DRAX Biomass, PR, IHB, 15 Dec., 2017) Contact: DRAX Biomass, Pete Madden, Pres., CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com, www.draxbiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  DRAXBiomass,  DRAX,  

DRAX
Date: 2017-12-06
Atlanta-headquartered DRAX Biomass (DBI) reports production is underway at its 450,000 metric tpy LaSalle BioEnergy sustainable compressed wood pellet facility in Urania, Louisiana. The facility is the third pellet plant in DBI's portfolio, joining Morehouse BioEnergy in Bastrop, Louisiana and Amite BioEnergy in Gloster, Mississippi.

As previously reported, DBI acquired the plant in April and immediately began repairs and upgrades which are now completed. (Source: DRAX, Bioenergy Insight, 1 Dec., 2017) Pete Madden, Pres., CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com, www.draxbiomass.com

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DRAX
Date: 2017-09-15
In the UK, power giant DRAX, which recently switched from coal-burning to biomass power generation at its North Yorkshire power station, reports it is planning to move on from biomass to powering its units with gas backed-up with huge battery storage units and to that end is seeking regulatory approval from the national Planning Inspectorate.

The company plans to convert two of its three remaining coal-fired units with gas and another to biomass. Under the new options being considered up to 3.6GW of new gas generation capacity and 200MW of battery storage could be installed, subject to investment agreements and the ability to secure a 15-year capacity market contract and other considerations. (Source: DRAX Power, London South East, Business Green, Others, 13 Sept., 2017) Contact: DRAX Power, Andy Koss, CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

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Rentech,DRAX
Date: 2017-08-16
Wood pellet producer Rentech reports it is negotiating the cancellation of its outstanding 193,000 metric tonne wood pellet supply agreement for 2017 with UK utility DRAX. As previously reported, Rentech idled its Wawa, Ont., facility and lowered production at its Atikokan, Ont., facility earlier this year due to equipment and operational concerns.

In Q2 of this year, Rentech's industrial wood pellet revenues fell to $3.2 million compared to $6.5 million for the same period in 2016. Operating loss was $2.7 million for Q2 2017, compared to $6.6 million for the same period last year, due primarily to the idling of its Wawa plant, according to a company report. (Source: Rentech, Others, Cdn. Biomass, 15 Aug., 2017) Contact: Rentech, Sean Ebnet, VP Wood Fiber Bus., Julie Dawoodjee Cafarella, VP Investor Relations, (310) 571-9800 ext 341, jdawoodjee@rentk.com, www.rentechinc.com; DRAX Group, Dorothy Thompson, CEO, DRAX Biomass, Pete Madden, Pres., CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com, www.draxbiomass.com

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DRAX
Date: 2017-07-21
In the UK, DRAX, the operator of a coal and biomass plant in North Yorkshire, reports it is advancing it is moving forward with plans to convert an existing coal-fired power generation unit to biomass. The company produced about 17 pct of the UK's renewable electricity in the first half of 2017.

Three of the company's six generating units are currently powered by compressed wood pellets and receive support from Renewable Obligation Certificates (for two units) and a Contract for Difference (CfD) (for one unit). (Source: DRAX, Bioenergy Insight, Other Media, 20 July, 2017) Contact: DRAX Group, Dorothy Thompson, CEO, DRAX Biomass, Pete Madden, Pres., CEO, +44 (0)1757 618381, www.draxpower.com, www.draxbiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,