A UK power plant that houses wood-pellets has recurrently failed to report the burning of forest wood from Canada, according to an investigation by the national broadcaster BBC. As per the broadcaster, Drax Power Station has benefited greatly from government subsidies. It is also required to declare the source of its wood and whether it is from natural forests or previously untouched areas. The company was penalised £25m last year for misrepresenting its data on sustainability. In its latest investigation, the BBC has found yet another year of data that might have affected payments of government subsidy, which the regulator Energy Ombudsman has not yet explored.
According to BBC News, the plant, found in North Yorkshire, generates around 6% of the UK’s electricity and has obtained billions of pounds in government subsidies due to wood-burning being labelled as a source of clean energy. Previous reports from BBC Panorama and BBC News indicated that Drax was the holder of logging licenses in Canadian British Columbia, and for its pellets, utilised timber taken from primary and old-growth forests, including whole trees. Such forests had not been subjected to industrial logging before and could provide significant amounts of carbon storage. Drax, however, denies possessing sawmills or forests, no longer submits bids for logging licenses, and now avoids sourcing wood from certain sites where the government of British Columbia has requested logging to stop.
However, as observed from public logging records, Drax still receives whole trees sourced from primary forests in the province, from other businesses that cut down these trees. The company reiterates that it comprehends the necessity of sustainably harvested biomass and assures that its pellets meet the sustainability regulations of several government administrations. The company added that the technical misreporting previously found by Energy Ombudsman would not have influenced the level of ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) earned.
The UK’s current sustainability requirements for biomass do not disallow the intake of whole trees from primary forests for wood pellets. Furthermore, the discovery of further misreporting comes as the government is expected to provide an extension for Drax’s subsidy imminently. Drax’s renewables subsidies are due to end in 2027. Energy Ombudsman has responded to the latest findings by instructing Drax to undertake an independent external audit profiling data for its global supply chain
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