In partnership with DB Cargo, GB Railfreight, Freightliner Heavy Haul and the Branch Line Society, the rail event on Saturday 17th saw three unique passenger trains operating on the Drax Power Station Loop.th August, a route normally restricted to freight trains for the transport of biomass.
Passengers had the opportunity to take part in this special train, with each train travelling a different route around the power station. All proceeds from the event were donated to Martin House Children’s Hospice.
Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax, said: “We are proud to be working with all the major freight operators and the Branch Line Society on this historic charter railway event to mark the golden anniversary of Drax Power Station.
“The weekend’s tours raised much-needed funds for Martin House Children’s Hospice, a charity very close to our hearts at Drax. Each year Martin House cares for over 440 children and their families, as well as around 150 bereaved families, and events like this enable them to continue their important work in local communities.”
Michelle Ford, Regional Fundraising Team Manager at Martin House Children’s Hospice, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Drax and the Charter Train team again on this historic event. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing, invaluable support, helping us to make a difference in the lives of so many children, young people and their families when they need us most. A huge thank you to everyone who made this amazing event possible, it means so much to us all.”
The railway has played a major role in the operation of DPS since the power station opened in 1974. The event also featured a display of locomotives that have transported materials to the power station over the course of its 50-year history. The event also included naming ceremonies held at York Station and Hensall, where two of the current Class 66 locomotives that supply Drax Power Station were given the names ‘Yorkshire Rose’ and ‘Drax Power Station 50’.
Drax Power Station contributes £358 million annually to the Yorkshire and Humber economy, employs over 700 people and supports over 4,200 jobs in the region.
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Editor’s Notes
About Drax
Drax Group’s aim is to enable a zero-carbon and lower-cost energy future. In 2019, the company announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030 through the use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Drax’s approximately 3,000 employees are active in three main areas of activity: generating electricity, selling electricity to commercial customers and producing and supplying compressed wood pellets to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com
Electricity generation:
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station in Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five per cent of the country’s electricity needs.
By converting Drax power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal, it has become the largest producer of renewable energy in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. Drax is also trialling ground-breaking emissions reduction technology BECCS in its Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) incubation area.
Its pumped storage, hydroelectric and waste to energy assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage plant in the hollowed-out mountain of Ben Cruachan.
The group also aims to further expand its BECCS innovation at Drax power station and has set a target of achieving four million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions per year by 2030 from newly built BECCS outside the UK. It is currently developing models for the North American and European markets.
Pellet production and delivery:
The group has 19 pellet plants and new buildings with a nominal production capacity of around 5 million tonnes per year.
Drax aims to achieve 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets will be made from materials from sustainably managed forests and supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for renewable energy generation.
Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass which is used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England, to generate flexible, renewable electricity for UK homes and businesses, as well as customers in Europe and Asia.
Customers:
Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses and offers a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation and electric vehicle strategy and management.
For further information please visit www.energy.drax.com
