Drax joins forces with farmers to boost Britain’s energy crop market

The partnership aims to encourage farmers to plant energy crops that will subsequently be used to deliver low carbon fuel

Drax Group has today announced a collaboration with the National Farmers Union of England and Wales (NFU) to boost energy crop production.

The partnership aims to support the perennial energy crops market.

The initiative is expected to further support Drax’s plan to source some of the biomass needed for its ‘negative emissions’ technology bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

Biomass produced from perennial grasses such as Miscanthus is considered a sustainable way to contribute to the UK’s climate targets.

Drax Group’s Chief Innovation Officer Jason Shipstone said: “If we can source some of Drax’s sustainable biomass for our BECCS units from domestically grown energy crops, we could further reduce our supply chain emissions at the same time as stimulating innovation within British farming.”

NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “There is a huge opportunity for the growth of perennial energy crops in the UK with large areas of suitable land potentially available for diversification into the growing of sustainable biomass for renewable energy generation.”

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