admin Energy firm Drax is going to discontinue its coal-powered electricity production plant which is the UK’s largest power plant by the end of March 2021. Official statements came out on Thursday. This can lead to a job loss of around 200-230 employees.
The Power Station is located near Selby, North Yorkshire and has a capacity of 3,906 megawatts and approximates produces 18 terawatt-hours annually. These figures are according to the firm.
Drax has four units which have been converted to “sustainable biomass” and two uses coal. In total it has six power plants.
This move towards “sustainable biomass” has ended in a carbon saving of above 80 per cent in comparison to when coal was being used.
Will Gardiner, the CEO of Drax in a statement said, “Ending the use of coal at Drax is a landmark in our continued efforts to transform the business and become a world-leading carbon negative company by 2030,”
He added, “Stopping using coal is the right decision for our business, our communities and the environment, but it will have an impact on some of our employees, which will be difficult for them and their families,”
“Over the coming months,” the firm is to be in dialogue with the trade unions and the employee representatives and wants to offer support to the employees impacted by the shift.
Drax doesn’t expect to use coal at the power station following the March 2021 deadline, the other two units of the facility will use coal till September 2022. The UK government is planning to remove coal from Britain’s energy production system by 2025 and at the start of February, in an address, it said to consult on preponing the deadline to October 1, 2024.
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