8th Feb 2019 09:38
LONDON (Alliance News) - Power firm Drax Group PLC said on Thursday the Drax power station is the first time carbon emissions have been captured from a biomass plant globally.
Using carbon capture technology at the power station in a pilot, Drax showed it can capture a tonne a day of carbon dioxide.
If this can be scaled up, Drax continued, it could achieve negative emissions, meaning it could produce electricity whilst also reducing carbon emissions.
Chief Executive Will Gardiner commented: "Proving this innovative carbon capture technology works is an exciting development and another important milestone in our bioenergy carbon capture and storage project.
"Climate change affects us all so this is of real significance – not just for us at Drax, but also for the UK and the rest of the world."
"The successful deployment of BECCS requires us to identify ways in which the carbon dioxide we're now capturing can be stored or used in other processes and we're working with the government and other businesses on that," he continued.
"We're focused on working together to make the progress required for us to tackle climate change and enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future."
Shares were up 1.1% on Friday morning at 404.20 pence each.
Drax said the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering estimated such technology could capture 50 million tonnes of carbon a year by 2050, around half of the UK's emissions target.
Claire Perry, the Minister for Energy & Clean Growth, commented: "This innovative technology has the potential to make huge strides in our efforts to tackle climate change while kick-starting an entirely new cutting-edge industry in the UK.
"World-firsts like this will help us to realise our ambition of having a first operational plant by the mid-2020s as we continue to seize the opportunities of moving to a greener, cleaner economy – a key part of our modern industrial strategy."
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