UK: Drax preparing £80m biomass investment in co-firing facilities

Drax, the UK’s largest coal-fired power station, expects to place contracts this month for facilities that will let it generate 10% of its electricity from biomass by the end of 2009.

Further spending is likely to be needed in the run up to the implementation of the European Union’s Large Combustion Plant Directive in 2016, which will impose tougher emission controls on power stations and other plants that emit carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Achieving this 10% target through co-firing biomass and coal would displace approximately 1 million tonnes/ year of coal and reduce CO₂ emissions by 2 million tonnes per year. Drax would also generate 2.5 million renewable energy certificates under the UK’s Renewable Obligation scheme.

Planning approval for the new facilities was given by the local authority earlier this year with work on the new biomass handling and processing equipment and direct injection facilities expected to begin in the second half of this year. It is envisaged that the work will be completed by the end of 2009.

(Cf. news from 2004-03-22 and 2007-08-03.)

Source

National Non-Food Crops Centre, 2008-04-17.

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