Drax power station
| Drax power station | |
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Drax Power Station
From the east in October 2007 |
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 Location of Drax power station in North Yorkshire
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| Official name | Drax power station |
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| Location | Long Drax, North Yorkshire |
| Coordinates | 53°44′9″N 0°59′47″W / 53.73583°N 0.99639°WCoordinates: 53°44′9″N 0°59′47″W / 53.73583°N 0.99639°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1973 (Phase 1) 1985 (Phase 2) |
| Commission date | 1974-75 (Phase 1) 1986 (Phase 2) |
| Owner(s) |
Central Electricity Generating Board (1974-1990) National Power (1990-1999) AES Corporation (1999-2003) Drax Group plc (2005-present) |
| Operator(s) | Drax Power Limited |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal |
| Secondary fuel | Biomass |
| Tertiary fuel | Petcoke |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 6 x 660 MW |
| Make and model |
C. A. Parsons and Company Siemens |
| Nameplate capacity | 1975: 1,980 MW 1986: 3,960 MW |
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Website www.draxpower.com |
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Drax is a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing biomass and petcoke, and its name comes from the nearby village of Drax. It is situated on the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. Its generating capacity of 3,960 megawatts is the highest of any power station in the United Kingdom (and second-highest in Western Europe, after 4,400 MW Neurath Power Station in Germany), providing about 7% of the United Kingdom's electricity supply.
Opened in 1974 and extended in the mid-1980s, the station was initially operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board. Since privatisation in 1990 ownership has changed several times, and it is operated by Drax Group plc. Completed in 1986, it is the newest coal-fired power station in England, flue gas desulphurisation equipment was fitted between 1988 and 1995; high and low pressure turbines were replaced between 2007 and 2012. Because of its large size, the station is the UK's single largest emitter of carbon dioxide.
The station was c. 2010 co-firing biomass; in 2012 the company announced plans to convert up to three generating units to solely biomass, burning 7.5 million tonnes imported from the United States and Canada.
After the Selby Coalfield was discovered in 1967 the Central Electricity Generating Board built three large power stations to use its coal. These were an expansion of the station at Ferrybridge, a new station at Eggborough, and the station at Drax was constructed on the site of Wood House.
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Wikipedia