Member Spotlight: Scaling Global Carbon Removals with BECCS

By Ross McKenzie, Group Corporate Affairs Director of Drax Group

The climate crisis is coming at us full speed, and if we are to overcome it then we need to take action now. Reducing emissions continues to be crucial but it is no longer enough. We need to actively remove gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it away permanently.

We’re taking this seriously at Drax because we know that extraordinary challenges require extraordinary solutions.

We have an ambition to be the global leader in carbon removals, by utilizing BECCS technology – that is bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. BECCS has the unique ability to generate renewable power while permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is captured through power generation and then safely transported and stored under the sea – taking it out of the atmosphere permanently.

We have bold plans to deploy BECCS globally and are ready to invest billions to achieve it. Our technology does not just contribute to efforts to reach net zero, but will also create important economic benefits – boosting green skills and supporting thousands of jobs – in the communities where we operate and across the value chain.

Climate change is a global problem, and we need to work together to develop a global response. We have exciting plans to scale up our operations and deliver growth on an even bigger scale.

We’ve set ourselves a target to become a world leader in carbon removals with the ambition to remove at least 14 million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2030, on a global scale. Our North American projects will deliver 6 million tons of that while the remaining 8 million tons will be captured at Drax Power Station in the UK. This is the equivalent of removing more than 3 million gasoline-powered vehicles from our streets a year, reducing consumption of more than 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline or recycling more than 600 million trash bags.

This is a huge ambition, but we’re confident that we can deliver.

Over the last 12 months we’ve seen an increase in global policy support for BECCS. Much of this is driven by the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the great opportunity it creates. The IRA is a landmark U.S. federal law, approved a year ago, that has already unlocked more than 75 clean energy projects and $110 billion investments in new clean energy manufacturing, including in carbon removals.

With this foundation and vast sustainably farmed timber baskets in the U.S., we believe the U.S. will become the leading market for BECCS in the coming years.

That’s why we’re accelerating plans for U.S. BECCS. Two sites in the U.S. South have already been selected for new-build BECCS and we’re evaluating more sites across the country. In Houston, we’ve recently opened our new global headquarters for BECCS, where we’ve started hiring for what will eventually amount to over 100 new jobs in Texas to support our rapid growth strategy.

The U.S. holds so much opportunity for us. It’s already where we source most of our sustainable biomass – key to delivering our ambitious BECCS projects – and will soon be our global BECCS hub.

At Drax, we’re passionate about making a real, positive difference for the communities and regions where we operate. As we look to scale up in the U.S., it’s critical that we deliver positive outcomes for not only the climate but for nature and people too. That’s why, this year, we’ve strengthened our approach to supporting communities where we operate. With the launch of the Drax Foundation, we’ve been able to donate thousands of dollars to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and skills development as well as positive environmental initiatives for communities in the U.S. We’ve also been able to show our commitment to being a good neighbor through the Crisis Fund donations, which provides emergency aid in response to natural disasters, conflict, and other humanitarian crises.

In addition to corporate giving, we’re also developing community engagement plans for each of our operating countries, in consultation with local communities. These engagement plans respond to local priorities and are based on community input. For our new potential BECCS markets in the U.S., we have started early engagement with community leaders including traditionally under-represented voices, to ensure that their views are heard, and we’ll work collaboratively during the entire project lifecycle. This active community engagement will be underpinned by significant local community investments.

We have an amazing opportunity with our U.S. BECCS plans – this next chapter in our journey will be nothing short of remarkable. When we have an idea this big, we don’t give up – because when it comes to tackling climate change, it’s crucial to get it right.

A guest blog by Ross McKenzie, Group Corporate Affairs Director of Drax Group.