| Drax power station | |
|---|---|
 Drax Power Station From the east in October 2007 | |
 | |
| Official name | Drax power station |
| Country | England |
| Location | Drax, North Yorkshire |
| Coordinates | 53°44′9″N 0°59′47″W / 53.73583°N 0.99639°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1967 (Phase 1)[1] 1979 (Phase 2)[2] |
| Commission date | 1974 (Phase 1)[1] 1986 (Phase 2)[1] |
| Decommission date | 2021 (coal) |
| Owners |
|
| Operator | Drax Power Limited |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Biomass[3] |
| Cooling towers | 12 × Natural Draft |
| Cooling source | Cooling Towers, River Ouse |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 4 × 660 MW (biomass) |
| Make and model | C. A. Parsons and Company Siemens |
| Nameplate capacity | 1975: 1,980 MW[1] 1986: 3,960 MW[1] 2021: 2,595 MW[1] |
| External links | |
| Website | www.drax.com |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Drax power station is a large biomass power station in Drax, North Yorkshire, England. It has a 2.6 GW capacity for biomass and had a 1.29 GW capacity for coal that was retired in 2021. Its name comes from the nearby village of Drax. It is situated on the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. Its generating capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW), which includes the shut down coal units, is the highest of any power station in the United Kingdom, providing about 6% of the United Kingdom's electricity supply.[4]
Opened in 1974 and extended in the 1980s,[2] the station was initially operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board. Since privatisation in 1990 ownership has changed several times, and it is operated by the Drax Group. Completed in 1986, it was the newest coal-fired power station in England until it closed in 2021. Flue gas desulphurisation equipment was fitted between 1988 and 1995. The high and low pressure turbines were replaced between 2007 and 2012.
By 2010, the station was co-firing biomass. In 2012, the company announced plans to convert three generating units to solely biomass, burning 7.5 million tonnes imported from the United States and Canada.[5] This work was completed in 2016[6] and a fourth unit was converted in 2018.[7] The company planned to convert its remaining two coal units to Combined Cycle Gas Turbine units and 200 MW battery storage.[8] However, those two coal units were shut in 2021 without converting them to biomass.
- ^ a b c d e f "Drax - Our History". Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Drax Power Station". Engineering Timelines. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Beeler, Carolyn; Morrison, James (20 June 2018). "The UK's move away from coal means they're burning wood from the US". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ "About us". Drax Group plc. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ Harrabin, Roger (12 November 2012). "Drax power station to burn wood and biomass (Video)". BBC News. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Simet, Anna (16 February 2017). "Drax reports good operational year, discusses future in biomass". Biomass Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ "Drax closer to coal-free future with fourth biomass unit conversion". Drax. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ "How to switch a power station off coal". Drax Group. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2019.