Drax Power Station is hosting a virtual public consultation on its proposed planning application for Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) Plant Demolition and Reconfiguration of Biomass Receipt, Handling and Storage Facilities.
The virtual interactive presentation can now be accessed at www.drax.com/VirtualConsultation and will be available for viewing until the end of the month.
Drax Power Station was originally designed and built by the Central Electricity Generation Board to use coal from the local coalfields in and around Selby. As environmental legislation developed, more stringent limits were placed on the emissions from coal-fired power stations like Drax. In the late 1980s Drax installed Sulphur Dioxide abatement technology which is known as Flue Gas Desulphurisation.
As Drax has moved toward co-firing with biomass and then full conversion of units 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is no requirement to operate the FGD system. This is due to the minimal levels of sulphur in biomass fuels compared with coal, resulting in far lower emissions of sulphur dioxide. Units 5 and 6 - which remain on coal at Drax Power Station – are due to cease operating in March 2021. This means that the FGD system will become redundant as will much of the common plant which serves the system. Drax will therefore apply to decommission and demolish much of the FGD system and re-purpose elements of the materials handling infrastructure which remains onsite.
In addition to the FGD demolition, Drax is looking to expand its ability to receive and process biomass fuels. The receiving and process infrastructure would look to make use of existing buildings as well as the rail system which serves the site. Additional conveyors would be required to move the biomass from the processing areas to storage areas prior to entering the combustion units.
These two aspects of Drax’s future plans form the basis of the proposed development for which Drax will seek planning permission from Selby District Council in the near future.
The interactive presentation has been developed to allow the public to explore the proposals in greater depth and to understand the areas of the site which these proposals relate to. In addition, Drax has generated a series of questions and answers about the proposed development as well as a feedback form for your comments and any additional questions you feel have not been answered.
It is important that you use this opportunity to give your feedback on this proposed project, to ensure your views are considered before Drax submits the final documents to Selby District Council.