Bright sparks – Drax welcomes new generation of renewable energy engineers

Bright sparks – Drax welcomes new generation of renewable energy engineers Renewable energy leader Drax has welcomed five new apprentice engineers to support its ambitious decarbonisation plans for the UK. 27 August 2024 The talented youngsters are joining the company’s technical apprenticeship scheme at Drax Power Station, near Selby, in North Yorkshire. The plant is the UK’s single-largest generator of renewable power, producing enough renewable electricity for around four million homes. The four-year programme gives new recruits the opportunity to gain expertise working alongside the world-class engineers at the power station. The plant has been transformed over the last decade as part of Europe’s largest decarbonisation project, swapping coal to generate renewable electricity using sustainable biomass. Drax has ambitious plans to go even further in the years ahead, aiming to become carbon negative by using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. The project would see the site capture up to 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. One of the apprentices who is excited to start her career at Drax is Keeley Sheldon, 17, from nearby Selby. “I have a great interest in engineering and wanted to pursue this as my career,” she said. “I made an application to Drax knowing that this would be a great company to work for.” Keeley isn’t fazed about entering an industry which has traditionally been dominated by men. She added: “I know being female and going into this career will be a challenge which I’m looking forward to and to want to break the stereotype label and know Drax will be an excellent employer to help me do this. Drax is well known both locally and globally so being given this opportunity is amazing and I’m excited to get started and for my future in engineering.” The apprentices beginning their careers at Drax Power Station this year are: Joe Morgan 16 – Doncaster Josh Afford 17 – Knottingley Harris Kitchen 18 – Wakefield Keeley Sheldon 17 – Selby Charlie Haller 16 – Snaith Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Power Station Plant Director, said: “It was fantastic to welcome our latest group of apprentices to Drax Power Station. They are an extremely talented group of young people and I’m so pleased they have chosen to take their first steps in their engineering careers with Drax. “The plant is pioneering carbon capture and storage technology and these young apprentices could one day be working at the world’s first carbon negative power station. By giving them the engineering skills today, we are ensuring they are ready to take full advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow.” In addition to engineering roles, Drax also offers apprenticeships in business support areas such as HR, IT, and facilities departments. ENDS Media contacts: Aidan Kerr Senior External Affairs Manager E: [email protected] T: 07849090368 About Drax: Drax Group’s (Drax) purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology. Drax’s c.3,500 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com Power generation: Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies four percent of the country’s electricity needs. Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator. It is also where Drax is piloting the negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area. Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan. The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets. Pellet production and supply: The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year. Drax is targeting 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 are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power. Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia. Customers:  Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management. 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