Welcome to Pellet Press The newspaper for Drax Pellet Operations colleagues
We’re midway through 2024 and there’s a lot of great work being done across the business and in our pellet operations.
In this issue, you’ll learn about efforts being made by our Sustainability team to enhance wildlife habitat and encourage positive forest management practices in the US South.
In the North, you’ll read about the great work being done to reduce carbon emissions while having a positive impact on our company’s finances.
This issue also provides an overview of our recently launched employee Value and Behaviors along with stories about the importance of safety and compliance, an update on our community giving, and welldeserved recognition received by some of the great women in our business.
There’s a lot of great stories in this issue of Pellet Press and we thank everyone for their contributions.
It’s important that we share our stories and successes across the business. If you have any feedback or ideas for Pellet Press, please reach out to Jaidyn Oliver (jaidyn.oliver@drax.com) or Kathleen Lagunsad (kathleen.lagunsad@drax.com).
We hope you enjoy this issue!
Matt
Matt White, EVP, Pellet Operations
Having a quail of a time!
Our support for sustainable forest management enhances wildlife habitat
We’re supporting efforts to promote and restore quail habitat and encourage openpine forest management practices in the US South.
We recently co-sponsored a successful field trip in southeast Arkanasas attended by more than 90 people, including forest owners, land managers, state and federal field biologists, fire ecologists, botanists and students.
Organized in partnership with local conservation groups, the trip highlighted the habitat needs of the northern bobwhite quail and the forest management techniques that can help them to thrive.
Other types of bird were also discussed at the event, including
Bachman’s sparrow, the brownheaded nuthatch, and the redcockaded woodpecker.
Quail numbers have declined across the US southeast in recent decades, at least partially due to a lack of active forest management.
Its return is an indicator of a
forest landscape that is healthy and biodiverse.
Measures such as thinning –harvesting small, misshapen and diseased trees – and controlled burning can help open-up the forest.
Story continues on page 2
Recognition for BECCS ambitions
We’ve won a major Anglo-American award for our ambitious carbon capture plans.
We were crowned winner of the British American Business (BAB) Transatlantic Growth Award in the Midsize Growth and Investments category for our bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plans in the US.
BAB’s annual awards event recognizes businesses that underpin the trade and investment relationship between the UK and the US.
Our award comes after we launched a new Houstonbased independent business unit focused on becoming the global leader in carbon removals. We also have plans to deploy BECCS both in the US and the UK.
Duncan Edwards, BAB CEO, said: “The strength of the US-UK trade and investment relationship is underpinned by organizations like Drax, who look across the Atlantic as a source of innovation, stability, and prosperity.”
Ross McKenzie, Group Director of Corporate Affairs, accepts our award at a ceremony in London
Negative positives
Boost for our decarbonization ambitions as pellet plants secure huge tax rebates
We’ve all got a part to play in ensuring our North American pellet operations are leading the charge as we strive to become a carbon-negative business by 2030.
That’s the latest call-to-arms issued to colleagues by Evangeline Saclamacis, Carbon Reduction Engineer for our northern operations, after collaboration and efficiency measures triggered some major wins for our business.
In Canada, several of our pellet plants have received – or are due to receive – some significant tax rebates for lowering their carbon emissions under
a provincial incentive program.
The windfall is great news for our company’s finances and contributes to a positive outlook for our plants and job security.
And across North America, it’s also good news for our company’s ambitious decarbonization goals and provides a welcome boost for our People, Nature and Climate Positive goals.
Evangeline said: “This shows there are real benefits to reducing our carbon footprint.
“And it’s beneficial for everyone; it’s good news for our people, our company, our neighbors and the planet.” Full story: page 2
Our carbon reduction efforts receive a thumbs up from Evangeline Saclamacis
Attendees gather ahead of the field trip in southeast Arkansas
A northern bobwhite quail
Having a quail of a time!
These kind of intermediate forest management practices encourage open-pine habitat features beneficial to the native plants, pollinators, and wildlife that are dependent on these more open forest ecosystems.
Alongside improving wildlife habitats, sustainable forestry management practices, promoted by Drax and various conservation partners across the US South, can help landowners to extract more value from their forests.
We can use the materials harvested through thinning to make our sustainable pellets, providing an important revenue stream for landowners and an added incentive to keep forests as forests.
Thinning can also ensure there’s plenty of space and light to encourage the growth of stronger, high-value trees used in construction and furniture production.
Our efforts to support the quail and encourage sustainable forestry management practices sit at the heart of our commitment to deliver a positive impact for people, nature and the climate.
Jay Hayek, our Forest Nature and Conservation Manager, said: “Drax is committed to effecting transformational change through collaborations and partnerships with allied conservation groups and state and federal partners.
“Keeping forests as healthy, working forests is good for biodiversity, landowners and the community, soil and water conservation, hunting, recreation, the overall economy, and of course the climate.”
Getting to know…
Alex Schott, Vice President, Head of North America Communications
Alex leads our Communications team in North America. It’s on a mission to tell our company’s compelling story, helping to build understanding and support for our operations both locally and nationally.
Hi Alex – please tell us more about your team and its work
We lead external communications and public relations efforts across the North America footprint, and we’re responsible for protecting our reputation through initiatives that build trust and support for Drax.
The easiest way to describe what my team does is to look at it through the lens of storytelling.
We do this through a multichannel approach, which includes print, digital, social media, local media, national media, community newsletters, presentations and events.
We’re always “story mining” –
Our Communications team helps to build understanding of our operations
looking for the best opportunities to tell the Drax story in unique and impactful ways.
Recently, I visited our Williams Lake and Burns Lake plants with the North America SLT and walked away with more than five stories that are ripe for the picking and showcasing the positive impact our people have within the communities where we operate.
What are your goals?
The short-term goal has been to establish a solid foundation for our North American Communications function, which is less than two years old, and solidify our internal and external relationships because these are critical to our success.
In the medium term, we want to dramatically increase the volume of coverage, awareness and shareof-voice Drax has in the public landscape.
Additionally, I want us to lean into the narrative of us being a leader in our industry while also
placing a special focus on our commitment to community.
In the longer-term, I want us to have as much recognition and awareness that the solar and wind industries enjoy while also being the first call major media outlets make when it comes to discussing renewable energy, carbon removals and corporate citizenship.
Ultimately, the goal is to have Drax synonymous with clean, innovative energy and consistently viewed as a best-in-class example of ESG (environmental, social and governance).
And what are the challenges?
There are no shortages of challenges, ranging from education on who Drax is and what we do as a business to grabbing shareof-voice and coverage away from more well-known energy sources and fuel types.
This is made more difficult by the misinformed opposition groups and NGOs that actively campaign against Drax.
However, that’s what makes the role exciting, and this is an excellent opportunity for us as communicators.
The team is strategically placed in each our hub areas – Monroe, Houston and Vancouver – so we’ve boots on the ground ready to represent the company inperson on a moment’s notice.
We’ve a great story to tell and there’s a lot of interest from external stakeholders to learn more about what we do.
We’ve tremendous support from the communities and
Alex Schott
partners who know us, so that’s why I feel our initiative to increase volume and amplification will pay off greatly as we reach more audiences across our footprint.
Why do you like working for Drax?
This role allows me to draw upon the experience and skills I’ve developed in a nearly 25-year career – from crisis communications and stakeholder engagement to digital media and media relations.
Given the impact communications has on a business in today’s world, the most important aspect to me is that communications has a seat at the leadership table.
Whereas 20 years ago, stories and situations were contained to a very localized audience, digital media has given rise to the “everyone is a reporter” generation – meaning anything that happens, no matter how localized, has the potential to become a full-blown global crisis for a company given the viral nature of social media.
Rapid fire questions…
Favorite book?
JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye
What’s on your playlist?
Pink Floyd
Favorite TV show?
Breaking Bad
Small changes, big impact
Everyone has a part to play in realizing our decarbonization goals
Several of our pellet plants in British Columbia, Canada, are celebrating after securing nearly $2 million in tax rebates for lowering their emissions.
Lavington has received a tax rebate of $1.6 million for 2022 from the CleanBC Industrial Incentive Program (CIIP).
Under the same scheme, our Houston and Williams Lake plants will receive a total rebate of $389,000 for 2022, while our Smithers plant will be applying to the program for a 2023 tax rebate.
CIIP incentivizes industrial
sites in BC to reduce their emissions.
The size of the rebates is determined by the amount of carbon emitted per ton of production against tough sector benchmarks.
Lavington’s windfall marks a huge endorsement of our continuous carbon reduction efforts – in 2020 under the same scheme, it secured a rebate of only $150,000 in comparison.
The plant was able to reduce its emissions through a collaborative approach towards efficiency that focused on the plant’s natural gas dryers, including set-points and fiber recipe optimization.
The project and program application were led and supported by our Decarbonization, Sustainability, Environmental and Technical (including Jeff Johnston, Dylan Leclerc and Jon Ross) teams, together with Plant Manager Brad Sampson and his Operations team.
Our remaining other plants in British Columbia don’t participate in the scheme because, without natural gas consumption in their dryers, they are not eligible for the program.
But Evangeline Saclamacis, Carbon Reduction Engineer for our Northern Operations, said the benefits of reducing our emissions were not purely financial or restricted to only those sites in the CIIP program.
“Across Pellet Operations, we have committed to a 42% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030.
“It’s a really tough target, but the progress currently achieved at Smithers, Lavington, High Level and others really outlines what we can achieve across our northern and southern regions with everyone’s support.”
Stressing all colleagues had
a role to play in realizing our decarbonization goals, Evangeline said sometimes small measures could often have a big impact.
“We’re really looking at low- and no-cost solutions at this point before implementing any capital investment that might be required,” she said.
“At Smithers, some of the measures we implemented saw a 30% reduction of gigajoule per metric ton in the winter, which is quite significant, not just in terms of carbon savings but also costs savings.
“More recently, I was at our Lavington and Armstrong plants looking for air leaks. With all
the losses we had just from compressed air, we were able to save about 1% of our total electricity consumption.
“So, little actions absolutely can make a massive difference.”
Together with Joseph Vutukuri, Carbon Reduction Engineer for our southern operations, Evangeline is investigating lots of other initiatives that could help our North American operations achieve our decarbonization targets.
These include strategic energy management, efficient operations, fuel switching and the implementation of new technologies.
From page 1
From page 1
Lavington pellet plant
Our pellet plant at Williams Lake
The Karbon-X factor
Our recently announced CDRs (carbon dioxide removals) deal with Karbon-X marks a landmark moment for Drax, North America and our developing Global BECCS team
Claire Lodge is a CDR Originator in the AngloAmerican team that brokered the deal. The team is spearheading our mission to be the world’s leader in largescale carbon removals
Why is the Karbon-X deal so significant for Drax, Claire?
We’ve previously agreed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with a couple of other companies, but this was our first formal offtake agreement.
Luckily, we were able to publish the price with this deal, and that was significant too.
The carbon market is still very new and there’s not been many deals spoken about publicly up to this point.
We hope this will provide a bit of visibility and clarity to people who want to get involved but don’t really know where to start.
Tell us more about the process –how did the deal come about?
This is such a new industry there’s no real blueprint.
It was sparked by a LinkedIn message I sent to Karbon-X’s CEO asking if he was interested in a conversation about our removals credits.
He said yes and that started the ball rolling. Together with Jack Harris, another CDR Originator, we had a few calls with them just to get a feel for the company and where their interest in us lay, and what the partnership opportunities might be.
Those conversations went on for several months and gradually involved other departments –Legal, Finance and Sustainability –until we got to the point of signing the deal.
It was a massive team effort, not just within my team but across the business.
‘CDR Originator’ will be an unfamiliar job title to many. Can you tell us more about it and your team?
Essentially, it’s a sales role, but it’s not really a traditional sales-type role.
It’s tied closely to business development, deals in very high volumes, and it’s not quick – it requires multiple conversations and involves lots of different departments to get a deal in place.
Currently, there’s about 10 in the Origination team, including two US-based colleagues.
We’re focusing mainly on our sites in the US where we’re going to build BECCS, and I think we’ll be brought under the Global BECCS business when it’s launched later this year.
Crunching the numbers
The deal with Karbon-X, a leading environmental company, is an indication of a growing demand for the high-quality carbon removals.
permanently stored carbon at $350 per ton.
The five-year deal will start in 2030, aligning to our planned deployment of BECCS in the US.
and of the growing demand for BECCS-derived carbon removals.
My knowledge is constantly growing and it’s exciting to be part of a new team working in a new market. Everyone’s very supportive Hot on the heels of signing our Karbon-X deal, we’ve sealed another major CDR agreement.
The deal with C-Zero converts one of our existing MoUs mentioned by Claire into a firm offtake agreement.
C-Zero, an environmental consultancy, has agreed to buy CDR credits representing 2,000 metric tons of permanently stored CO2
It’s another clear endorsement of our strategy
Laurie Fitzmaurice, President of our new carbon removals business, said: “Organizations like C-Zero and the clients it supports are looking to permanent, engineered carbon removals that are high-integrity to
ensure their climate commitments are achieved.
“As those deadlines approach, experts predict demand will soar for CDRs that are credible, quantifiable, and auditable – like those provided through BECCS by Drax – making now the smartest time to invest.”
Karbon-X has agreed to buy 25,000 metric tons of
As part of our mission to become the global leader in carbon removals, we’ve established a new independent business unit that will formally launch later this year.
The unit, based out of Houston, Texas, will oversee the development and construction of new-build BECCS plants in the US and internationally.
It will work with a coalition of strategic partners to focus on an ambitious goal of removing at least 6 Mt of CO2 per year from the atmosphere and the sale of CDRs.
Laurie Fitzmaurice, President of the new unit, said: “This agreement with Karbon-X represents another major step forward in delivering BECCS by Drax in the United States to help meet this growing demand to decarbonize our planet.”
Karbon-X plans to sell the credits it buys from us on the voluntary carbon market.
Leading from the front BECCS appeal
carbon removal technology uses sustainable biomass to generate renewable energy before storing the carbon underground permanently. Through BECCS, carbon removals are quantifiable and auditable, resulting in a higher quality credit.
This separates BECCSderived CDRs from carbon offsets linked to nature-based removals.
Companies and industries with hard-to-abate emissions can better measure the impact of their investments as they strive to rebalance their carbon footprints.
Laurie Fitzmaurice
Claire Lodge
Bringing our culture and values to life
Last month, we launched our new Value and Behaviors to all colleagues and provided some great tools to help you and your team to explore them in more detail
Our strategic pillars
We have a clear strategy:
To be a global leader in carbon removals
To be a global leader in sustainable biomass pellets
To be a UK leader in dispatchable renewable generation
Our North America operations are essential to the successful delivery of our strategy.
North America is home to our Global BECCS ambitions and our new carbon removals business.
This year will see us accelerate development of the first Drax BECCS site outside the UK.
Meanwhile, the pellets we produce in the US and Canada are central to our vision to be the global leader in sustainable biomass pellets.
They’re also critical to ensuring a secure and stable energy system in the UK, keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
Consistent culture
We want to foster a culture at Drax that’ll support our growth.
Having a consistent culture that’s understood by everyone will help us to develop a successful team.
In turn, this will help us to deliver on our strategic pillars and realize our bold ambition to be carbon negative and our purpose to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future
To strengthen our culture, over the last year, we’ve been working with colleagues from across Drax to develop our new People Promise: Together, we make it happen.
Our new Drax Values
To bring our People Promise to life, we’ve updated our Values and Behaviors
These are the guiding principles and actions that will define our culture and help us understand and explain how we do the right thing.
They are:
Prioritize safety
Unlock your potential
Deliver our promise Shape the future
Growing gains
Drax CEO Will Gardiner hailed our “strong” financial and operational performance and indicated positive years lie ahead after we published our impressive financial results for 2023.
As our adjusted earnings hit more than £1 billion for the last year, Will said: “This reflects a very strong system support and renewable power generation performance in our Generation business, as well as growth in our Customers business.
“In a more challenging
operating environment for pellet production, our integrated global business supply chain has also delivered a robust performance.”
Looking to the future, Will said:
“Our long-term focus remains on progressing our strategy and our ambition is to become a carbon negative company, underpinned by the development of BECCS.
”The potential for the growth in CDRs, and the opportunity this could afford BECCS in the UK and our plans for North America, are both significant and exciting.
“We anticipate making further progress on these during 2024.”
At a glance
Financial highlights: “Strong financial performance and returns to shareholders”
Group
Adjusted EBITDA*:
£1,009 million (£731 million in 2022) – UP 38%
Operating profit:
£908 million (£146 million in 2022) – UP 522%
Final dividend: 13.9 pence per share (12.6 pence in 2022) – UP 10%
Pellet operations
Adjusted EBITDA:
£89 million (£134 million in 2022) – DOWN 34%
*EBITDA is a measure of a company’s profitability showing ‘Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation’.
Having developed those ideas, we now need to make them real, to make sure we all understand them and we deliver on them.
To reflect their importance to our future, all Drax colleagues will have an objective focused around the Values and Behaviors.
To learn more:
• Visit our Values and Behaviors intranet page and take part in a team session with your line manager.
• Watch the Drax Values video to find out what they mean to our colleagues.
• Work with your line manager to develop a performance objective in One Drax, based on the Values and Behaviors.
Key Group takeaways
• Adjusted EBITDA growth driven by system support services, renewable generation and energy solutions (Customers business).
• Current business and targets provide strong long-term foundation for balance sheet, dividend and investment.”
• “Attractive opportunities to invest for long-term growth linked to energy transition and security of supply.”
Key Pellet operations takeaways
• Robust performance in a challenging environment – production impacted by unplanned outages and curtailment following wildfires and weather damage to our Baton Rouge port facility.
• Progressing development of new Longview pellet plant in Washington, US, and Aliceville expansion complete.
• More than 17Mt of long-term biomass sales to the mid-2030s.
• Pipeline of new third-party sales opportunities, including letter of intent for sale up to 1Mt of biomass to European utility for projects including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Will Gardiner, Drax CEO, said: “At Drax, we want everyone to feel like a valued member, on a winning team with a worthwhile mission.
“No matter where you work within Drax, no matter your role, we’re all delivering our purpose –enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future – and working hard to help decarbonize the planet now and in the future.
“We’re not just talking about making a difference; collectively, we’re already doing it. Together, we make it happen.”
Why compliance matters: page 5
Key BECCS and Innovation takeaways
First US new-build BECCS site selected in US South capable of producing 2TWh of renewable electricity and capturing around 3Mt of CO2 per year.
More than 100 colleagues working on our Global BECCS program in the UK and North America.
• Assessing options for BECCS projects using non-Drax assets and screening other regions for BECCS, including Europe and Australasia.
Trading update
At the end of April, we delivered a trading update for the first three months of 2024.
It said our pellet production operations had “started the year well”.
It added: “The market remains challenging but, as a vertically integrated producer, user, buyer, and seller of biomass, Drax operates a differentiated model from its peers and sees the current global biomass market as representing a favorable balance of risks and opportunities for the Group.
“Drax is positive on the outlook for biomass demand and expects this to grow, as sustainable woody biomass is increasingly used for BECCS, as well as for nextgeneration SAF and the Group continues to develop a pipeline of sales opportunities in these new markets.”
Will Gardiner
Making sure we all go home safe every day
Jennifer claims first prize in annual slogan competition
We’ve crowned the winner of our annual safety slogan contest for North America.
Jennifer Oakley, Administrative Assistant at our High Level pellet plant in Canada, claimed the prize with: “OneSafeDrax – a journey we walk together.”
Across Drax, safety is our top priority and sits at the heart of everything we do.
Jennifer said: “If you were to visit our High Level site, the first thing you would see upon walking in is a large board with the words: We Work Safe for Our Families and for Each Other’, with scattered photos of our team and all their loved ones at home – the most significant reminders of the importance of safety.
“This slogan sums up my perception of how Drax, and especially my team here in High Level, views safety through a teamfocused lens.
“We all work hard to maintain an environment where individuals
not only take responsibility for their own safety, but for the safety of those around them. Everybody is willing to help each other and look out for each other, and there is a genuine sense of care for each other’s wellbeing.
“This slogan is our gentle reminder that safety is a shared responsibility, and that teamwork plays a critical role in fostering a strong safety culture at Drax.”
Our safety slogan contest is held every year to generate enthusiasm and focus on safety among all colleagues in North America.
Fifty entries were submitted this year from colleagues working across our sites in the US and Canada.
Jennifer’s slogan will be used and displayed at the top of HSE Toolbox Talks, Safety Alerts, and Safety Bulletins.
Evalise Poulin, HSE Technical Trainer Developer, said: “It’s exciting to see entries come in from all over North America, from Alabama
to British Columbia and almost everywhere in between!
“The competition is fierce with so many great slogans every year, all for a good purpose – to generate enthusiasm and focus on safety among all colleagues in North America.”
Our OneSafeDrax vision aims to
ensure every colleague, regardless of location or role, goes home at the end of every day safe and well, that our assets are well maintained and operated safely and we minimize any negative impact we may have on our communities and the environments where we operate.
Let’s be safe, and let’s be proud of it!
Our safety slogan competition dovetails with our ongoing Do the right thing: See it. Stop it. Report it campaign.
Launched a year ago, the campaign marks another step forward in our continuous journey to improve health and safety across the business.
It urges colleagues to take a preventative approach by watching out for risks and then logging hazards, incidents and near misses in SAI360.
Amber Bouska, VP of HSE North America, said: “Safety isn’t just a priority. It’s a core value that guides every action we take.
“Taking action when we notice a situation isn’t safe and recording this in SAI360 is how
we stop accidents or injuries from happening or being repeated.
“No matter their role at Drax, we need all colleagues to be alert, aware, and confident to take action and promote an improved safety culture.
“Understanding what should be reported and understanding the proper procedures will keep us on track to being One Safe Drax.”
Our recently published Annual Report for 2023 revealed some important safety metrics from across Drax:
‘Leading’ target: Near Miss & Hazard Incidents Rate (NMHIR): 129 (target 110) ✔(2022: No data available)
The number of environmental, safety and process safety observations across all operations and locations, including contractors, per 100,000 hours worked (Metric introduced in 2023 so no comparator values are available.)
TRIR is an industry standard measure of fatalities, lost-time injuries and medical treatment injuries per 100,000 hours worked.
Will Gardiner, Drax CEO: “We are committed to a strong safety
culture across the Group and remain focused on improving performance.
“I want everyone to go home safe and well every day, so we will retain our leading and lagging approach for HSE in the 2024 scorecard, and we will make the targets even more stretching this year.”
Alongside safety, compliance is another big focus for our business and our North American operations this year. Compliance now features in our Group Scorecard, so we all have a responsibility to make sure we’re a compliant business as well as a safe business.
Why is it important?
We operate across highly regulated industries and sectors and must comply with a wide range of regulations and standards.
This is our license to operate and critical to our reputation. The impacts of non-compliance can touch all areas of Drax. Not doing so can affect our reputation, our communities, colleagues and all our stakeholders.
Doing things right the first time means we spend less time correcting errors and it builds trust in our business.
Compliance: it all matters
We're asking every colleague to make a big effort to stay compliant.
This year, we’re working to increase focus and governance of our environmental monitoring and reporting, as well as our health and safety.
But whether it’s safety or environmental reporting, customer or colleague data, our Acceptable Use Policy, customer duty of care or sustainability, it all matters.
Please complete all compliance training assigned to you in OneDrax within the required deadline.
If you’re unsure about maintaining compliance in any aspect of your work, please talk to your manager or senior leader.
Did you know?
Underlining our commitment to compliance, our annual report features the words ‘compliance’ and ‘compliant’ 116 times
Safety slogan competition winner Jennifer Oakley
Across Drax, safety is everyone’s responsibility
Amber Bouska
How it works talk to Matt
A Talk to Matt desktop icon is available on all work-issued desktops and laptops. Use the code #TALKTOMATT to access the Talk to Matt page. Alternatively, you can use this QR code to put your question to Matt.
Hard questions –real answers
Lots of you have been engaging with Matt White via our new colleague tool, but there’s always room for more of your questions and suggestions...
You haven’t been pulling your punches when it comes to some of the questions, suggestions and concerns you’ve been putting to Matt White, our Executive Vice President, Pellet Operations, via our new colleague outreach tool.
From safety and maintenance issues to cronyism, and from pay to mental health and wellbeing, the subjects you’ve raised via Talk to Matt have been wide ranging and often challenging.
But it’s great to see – it’s exactly why we launched Talk to Matt last year.
We want everyone to feel a valued member of a winning team, and building a positive culture where colleagues feel engaged
and listened to is a priority for our leadership team in North America Talk to Matt enables colleagues to submit questions or concerns directly via a third-party website called Sli.do.
Importantly, colleagues can access the website without logging in or requiring authentication –so you can put your questions or voice your concerns to Matt anonymously.
Here’s just one of the many questions that have been submitted to Matt:
“Why is everyone paid a flatrate based on your position in the company? We do not take into account years’ experience, knowledge, skills, work ethic.”
Matt’s response:
“We are currently looking at our job structures and are likely to move away from a single rate (where it exists) to a job structure that allows for progression and recognition of skills, experience etc. It’s a project that we’re currently working on with our HR Teams, and we’ll continue to update the business as we move further along with it.”
Matt is keen for more of you to come forward with your questions, ideas and worries.
He said “At Drax, every contribution matters, and ensuring you feel valued is a top priority.
“Building a positive culture so that all colleagues feel engaged and part of a winning
Can we count on you?
Help to build a better Drax by answering a few simple questions
When we’re open to ideas from everyone, we achieve things together that we couldn’t on our own – that’s why we’re on a mission at Drax to create a more inclusive culture.
We all have a role to
play in creating a supportive, diverse, and inclusive working environment, where everyone can be themselves and everyone's contributions matter.
One of the ways you can help build a better Drax is by taking part in our Count Me In campaign.
What is Count Me In?
It’s our way of better understanding you and everyone at Drax.
It’s a voluntary survey that asks colleagues to confidentially disclose some information about their identity.
Why should I take part?
We’re committed to ensuring everyone at Drax is treated fairly and has equal opportunities to grow and develop.
The findings from the survey will help us to measure our success and identify changes we can make that will benefit colleagues and make Drax a truly welcoming place to work.
So far, an amazing 70% of colleagues in North America have given us some details of their identity.
This has enabled us to improve our facilities, create the learning you really need and tweak our processes to ensure fairness.
Things that have been implemented in the UK because of Count Me In include policies for caregivers, better workwear for all body types, nursing rooms, prayer rooms, and neurodiversity resources.
How do I take part?
You can complete the survey in just a few minutes by logging in to your HR system:
UKG (Canada)
• Visit the UKG web portal
• Navigate to Myself > Private Info
team will help to drive our success.
“We want to ensure all colleagues’ voices are heard and for you to know that any questions or concerns you might have will be addressed.”
Matt will try to read and answer each of your questions as soon as possible.
However, he may refer to others with specialist knowledge to provide more detailed responses to certain questions.
Occasionally, it might not be possible to respond to a question that could be considered commercially sensitive.
Please ensure your questions are respectful and professional in tone.
Matt’s responses will be visible on the Talk to Matt homepage. They will also appear in Matt’s monthly bulletin to colleagues.
• Use the drop-down menu to complete your data
• Click save.
ADP (USA)
• Login to ADP using your existing credentials
• Navigate to Myself, My Info, Profile, then click on the View More box
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Additional Information
• Use the drop-down menu to make your selections to the questions.
How do I know the information I provide will be used appropriately?
Providing your information is
voluntary, and if you prefer not to share this information it won’t impact how you’re treated in any way.
If you enter your information and change your mind later, you can delete it at any point too.
Any inputted data is only accessible by a small volume of HR colleagues – not even your line manager will be able to access this!
Where can I get more information?
You can find out more about Count Me in on the Drax intranet, where you can also explore more about our company’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
We’re on a mission to create a more inclusive culture
Matt White is always happy to listen to colleagues’ concerns and suggestions
Inspirational Liezl
Recognition for VP of our Northern Operations
Liezl speaking to colleagues on a visit to our pellet plant in Princeton, BC, Canada
Congratulations to Liezl van Wyk, Vice President of our Northern Operations, who was recently crowned Thought Leader of the Year at the inaugural Canadian Biomass Awards.
The awards celebrate outstanding individuals, companies and communities working to advance Canada’s bioeconomy.
The judges said Liezl’s leadership in the biomass industry had been “exceptional, marked by innovation, resilience and a steadfast commitment to safety”.
Samantha is a real Trailblazer
Huge congratulations to colleague Samantha Jones, who recently picked up a Women of Influence Award.
Samantha, Regional Electrical Engineer based out of Alberta, in Canada, received the Grand Prairie’s 2024 Trailblazing Woman of Influence Award.
The award, coinciding with International Women’s Day, was given to Samantha in recognition of her work to promote STEM learning and careers while pushing for greater gender balance in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Liezl joined Drax in 2022 after working in more than 10 countries and several different industries across Africa, Australia and North America, including shipping, renewables, mining, power generation and resource development.
A key priority for Liezl in her role is safety and the pursuit of operational excellence.
She said: “You don’t ever do operations well without a very solid safety foundation to build on. This is step one always and a key value for Drax as a company.”
Liezl is also dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion in what is a traditionally maledominated industry.
Offering advice to those looking to follow in her footsteps, she said: “Everyone has a different
journey through life. Opportunities present themselves in different ways.
“However, the common themes often apply no matter where you live or work: aim for a good education as foundation, stay focused and work hard, work honest and expose yourself outside your comfort zone; pick up best practices along the way, learn from people that inspire you, learn from your failures emotionally and intellectually; figure out which parts of your personality are your strengths and bring that to your job, and always treat people with respect.”
Liezl is also positive for the future of the biomass industry, which she said was developing in “new and complex ways”.
She said: “Responsible resource management is a key theme and central to the climate change discussion.
“Biomass is an essential pillar in this strategy and the industry is developing to position it along those lines. So, my view is that this is a key industry to participate in and ensure we are good custodians of the limited resources.”
International celebrations
Colleagues came together to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) and celebrate the achievements of women across our company.
A series of lunch and learn and networking events were staged across the business, both in North America and the UK. Colleagues were encouraged to discuss what it means to be a working woman and share their views on how we can drive inclusion at Drax.
IWD aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of
women around the world while also reflecting on the work still to be done to achieve true gender equality.
This year’s theme was #InspireInclusion.
As part of the IWD’s celebrations, we attended the Young Women in Energy summit in Alberta, Canada.
Lead Process Engineer Karen Hanlon delivered a presentation on sustainable bioenergy and our carbon removal plans.
The event proved a great opportunity to collaborate with exceptional women and hear from insightful speakers and panels on a
Updates from around our global business
World-first for shipping
We’re behind exciting plans to develop the world’s first biomass-powered cargo ship and help cut greenhouse gas emissions from sea.
Our link up with three Japanese companies could see the bioship setting sail by the end of the decade.
The technology could decarbonize the shipping of biomass pellets to Japan by more than 20%.
The partnership will initially conduct research to develop the new shipping technology, an on-board biomass fuel plant.
It would use a gasifier to combust biomass at high temperatures and create and contain gases, including carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane.
These gases would then power a generator that would propel the bioship and provide some internal power.
Paul Sheffield, our Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Drax aims to be carbon negative by 2030, and decarbonizing our supply chain is critical to reaching this goal.”
£80 million investment
We’ve unveiled details of an £80 million upgrade for our iconic pumped storage hydro power station in Scotland.
The ambitious project will increase the generating capacity of two of Cruachan Power Station’s four units by a combined 40MWs, raising the facility’s total generating capacity to 480 MWs and boosting the UK’s energy security.
We’ve appointed global hydropower technology supplier ANDRITZ as the main contractor for the upgrade project.
Our investment will improve the units’ operability and reliability and is underpinned by the recent award of a 15-year capacity market agreement worth around £221 million.
range of energy topics.
At Drax, we’re committed to building a fair, safe, and inclusive working environment, where everyone has the tools to do their best work and feel they belong.
Inclusion is a key part of our strategy and integral to helping us deliver on our purpose of enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future.
The upgrade project is separate to our plan to build a new 600 MW pumped storage power station adjacent to our existing Cruachan facility.
Cruachan is one of only four pumped storage hydro facilities in the UK. The plants play a critical role in stabilizing the electricity systems, helping to balance supply and demand through storing excess power.
Samantha with her award
Credit: Meaghan Baxter photography
Millions of reasons to smile
Celebrating our corporate giving and
In the year since we launched our new global community strategy, we’ve given nearly £3 million to build stronger communities for a net-zero future.
Our Drax Foundation’s Annual Review revealed we donated £2.7 million (US $3.40 million/ CA $4.59 million) to organizations close to our operations around the world.
They share our commitment to improve STEM education, access to green spaces and energy efficiency measures in schools.
We’ve helped underrepresented groups, advanced equality and supported indigenous communities.
Our three pillars
Drax Foundation: launched in March 2023 to provide funding for non-profit organizations that improve access to STEM education, community green spaces and renewable energy.
Headline figures
Community Fund: established to respond to the unique needs, challenges and opportunities in the communities where we operate, with donations to local programs, projects and events.
and I’m very proud of the
Drax Community Team:
“While corporate giving is important, we know this must be delivered hand-in-hand with active community engagement. We recognize the importance of engaging diverse community stakeholders and prioritizing traditionally unheard voices in local decision-making.
“We’re proud of all that has been achieved during 2023 and are excited to accelerate our efforts in the year ahead to ensure that we’re a good neighbor in our communities.”
Spotlight
We’re supporting girls and indigenous communities to become future STEM leaders after donating (CA) $97,000 to the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST).
Women account for only 23% of Canadians working in STEM, and only 4% of the Indigenous workforce has undertaken STEM post-secondary education.
Looking ahead
We’ve got lots planned for 2024, including...
• Continue giving through our Foundation and Community Fund with greater emphasis on outreach and community engagement.
• Developing a three-year plan with annual targets so we can measure our impact
• Delivering a full community benefit plan for our new BECCS plant in the US
Why are we doing this?
We want to be a good neighbor and make a positive difference to the communities where we operate.
We want to be viewed as a good employer. Colleagues want to work for a purposedriven organization. Combined, it’s good for business and our communities.
SCWIST is working to address these challenges.
We’re supporting its STEM Explore program that will deliver 240 workshops in urban areas, including workshops for Manitoba Indigenous communities, reaching 1,500 students.
We’re also supporting its STEM mentoring program, which will see 100 girls paired with diverse STEM professionals.
JeAnn Watson, Director of SCWIST: “STEM skills are life skills, and with access to STEM knowledge, the youth of today can shape their own futures and chart a logical path in a rapidly changing world.”
Through
Canada unveiled a “gamechanging” provision in its 2024 federal budget that could have significant implications for our strategic ambition to be a global leader in carbon removals.
The budget, unveiled in April, expanded Canada’s Low-Carbon Fuel Procurement Program to include carbon dioxide removal (CDR) services.
Na’im Merchant, of independent think-tank Carbon Removal Canada, described the news as “huge”.
It could also have implications for our Global BECCS ambitions and our North American operations.
Lucy Hargreaves, of climate tech company Patch, said: “In my view, this is the first step toward putting the government’s weight behind Canada’s CDR industry, sending market signals that are absolutely critical for early-stage CDR projects that require growth capital to scale to gigatonne levels by 2050.”
The $135 million program was originally designated to bolster low-carbon fuel initiatives and curb the intensity of the Canadian Government’s air and marine fleets.
Carbon Removal Canada said broadening the program’s mandate to include CDRs was a “historic step forward” and underlined the important role such technologies and the carbon market will play in Canada’s future.
Last year, we teamed up with Patch to boost the sale of carbon credits and put our company at the vanguard of the rapidly developing carbon market.
Patch’s software helps voluntary carbon market participants to buy, sell and manage carbon credits.
Our link-up with Patch will enable our customers to seamlessly buy credits from several different portfolios, including those generated by our bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.
The US Government has pledged $8 million to 14 projects that plan to turn CO2 emissions into useable products.
Underlining the government’s commitment to carbon capture technologies, the projects will help to decarbonize industrial processes while kick-starting a carbon conversion industry. Several of the projects will use the captured CO2 to produce algae-derived products, including animal feeds, organic fertilizers and asphalt.
A people positive
Our ambitions might be global in scale, but we’re also doing lots of great work to support people, good causes and the local communities where we live and work
Having a ball
In Canada, we’ve been making positive contributions to lots of our communities.
We’ve donated $5,000 to the Burns Lake Centennial Ball Drop, a charity event that raises money for projects in the district.
Our donation contributed towards the purchase of an MRI machine for the Lakes District Hospital.
We’ve also donated $10,000 to Vermilion Forks Elementary School in Princeton to buy a new outdoor play center.
Sandy Sung, left, our Community Manager in Canada, hands over a check for $5,000 to the organizers of the Burns Lake
Empowering youngsters
Elsewhere in Canada, we’ve been empowering the next generation of female athletes after handing over $10,000 to the Williams Lake Basketball Association.
The money will enable the association to expand its girls’ program and help to cover the costs of training, practice facilities, uniform and travel to tournaments.
Ian Tencarre, Plant Manager at Williams Lake, said: “We’re excited to be able to support this initiative to make basketball available to female youth in the Cariboo region.”
At Drax, we work closely with our local councils as part of our commitment to supporting the communities where we operate. Earlier this year, we were
pleased to welcome the Mayor of Parkland County, Allan Gamble, and Parkland County councilors for a tour of our Entwistle pellet plant in Alberta, Canada.
The tour was led by Plant Manager Dustin Florell.
Centennial Ball Drop
Local politicians enjoy a tour of Entwistle pellet plant in Alberta, Canada
positive outlook
On the right track
We’ve been doing lots of great work to improve the quality of life for people living near our Amite pellet plant in Mississippi in the US.
We’ve committed $250,000 to establish the Gloster Community Fund to support dedicated community and educational activities in the town.
The development follows conversations between Drax senior leaders, town leaders and other members of the local community.
We’re also: creating a community advisory panel in Gloster made up of community leaders and citizens to help inform our future investments in the region; donating computers for use by townsfolk; providing greater career and job opportunity
assistance; and we’re also launching a dedicated Gloster webpage to provide answers to frequently asked questions, job links and detailed information about our plant.
Alongside the launch of the new fund, we’re also helping the people of Gloster to put their best feet forward after donating $130,000 to build a new community walking track.
It’s hoped the track will provide a safe place for the community to walk or run and boost their health and wellbeing.
Mock tactics
In Demopolis, Alabama, we’ve been helping young people prepare for the world of work.
Our US HR Manager, Danielle Bradford, joined representatives from other organizations to undertake mock job interviews with senior students at Demopolis High School.
The seniors were required to wear clothes appropriate for a real-life work interview and were posed a series of typical interview questions.
Other organizations to take
Jerry Norwood, Mayor of Gloster, said: “Drax’s impact on our community cannot be understated. The citizens of Gloster have put a walking track at the top of their list of improvements and to see it come to fruition is a great day for the city.” We recently joined the Gloster
Chamber of Commerce, reflecting our commitment to fostering economic growth and collaboration within the local community.
As a chamber member, we’ll work with like-minded businesses and organizations to boost
economic opportunities, drive engagement and contribute to the prosperity of the local area.
This year, we also appointed Crystal Murray as our new Community Liaison Officer in Gloster to accelerate our engagement and giving.
We were joined by representatives from lots of other organizations at the
part included the
the
Danielle said: “Being able to inform the next generation on real-life scenarios and what to expect in real interviews was very rewarding.
“Representing our business among many others gives us a way to give back to our community in an impactful way.”
We’re delighted to be partnering with Louisiana State University to advance renewable energy and sustainable forestry and support students
Nurturing tomorrow’s ‘thought leaders’
We’re partnering with Louisiana State University (LSU) to support students in the US South and encourage research in sustainable forestry and renewable energy.
Our $55,000 donation to LSU will establish a new scholarship fund to support students at LSU’s College of Agriculture.
It will also support existing funds and services, including help for students to find work after finishing their studies.
As well as aligning with our People Positive strategy by improving access to education and opportunities, our partnership with LSU also underlines our commitment to sustainability and our quest to be a global leader in carbon removals.
We’ve donated a further $7,000 to become a sustaining member of the LSU Center for Energy Studies’ endowment.
This will support its research and analysis to address energy-related issues and opportunities affecting Louisiana.
Dr. Matt Lee, VP of Agriculture and Dean of LSU’s College of Agriculture, said our “generous support” will enhance its ability to “attract and educate the thought leaders of tomorrow who will secure our future”.
Dawn Whitworth, our Head of International Partnerships and Advocacy, said: "This partnership with LSU is the first of its kind for Drax in Louisiana and exemplifies our commitment to fostering collaborations.
“Just like our existing Louisiana operations, our goals are to boost economic development, support future workforce training, and build a foundational knowledge exchange through worldleading research in the fields of renewable energy and sustainability.”
Louisiana is home to our US headquarters in Monroe and pellet plants in Bastrop and Urania.
Drax colleagues are joined by Gloster leadership and community members to celebrate our contribution to a community walking track
Demopolis Police Department,
City Schools Foundation, the local Chamber of Commerce and Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
Crystal Murry, front, our Community Liaison Officer, with Drax colleagues volunteering at a Giving Tuesday community event in Gloster
Demopolis High School event
Happy birthday to us!
It’s been 50 years since Drax Power Station in the UK first started generating electricity from coal. Our North American colleagues and operations have been pivotal to our company’s more recent history and remarkable transformation.
Our company’s story started in 1974 when Drax Power Station in England began generating electricity for the first time.
Back then, our North Yorkshire plant was powered by coal, but now it’s sustainable biomass that’s helping to safeguard the UK’s energy security and keep the lights on for millions of homes and businesses.
Over the last decade, our North American operations have been pivotal in helping Drax transform from a single-site, coal-fired generator into a truly global renewable energy business.
Across the US and Canada, we now have 18 operational and development pellet plants producing more than five million tons of sustainable biomass pellets annually, plus four corporate offices and five deep water ports, including one in development.
Now, and as we look to deliver on our three strategic pillars, North America is poised to play a key role in the next chapter of our company’s history.
The pellets produced in the US and Canada will continue
to fuel our ambition to be the UK leader in dispatchable, renewable generation
Later this year, we plan to formally launch our new global carbon removals business in Houston, Texas – a major step forward in our ambition to be a global leader in carbon removals
And we’re also targeting 8Mt of pellet production capacity by 2030 as we strive to be a global leader in sustainable biomass pellets.
So, exciting times lie ahead for Drax and our North American operations as we look to achieve our purpose of enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future.
But for now, it’s time to pause and celebrate our special anniversary and our momentous journey so far.
Timeline
1967 – Selby coalfield in North Yorkshire, England, discovered. UK Government approves construction of Drax Power Station (DPS).
1974 – DPS starts generating electricity after first 660 MW unit is commissioned. It’s the most advanced and efficient coal-fired power station ever built in the UK.
1975 –DPS officially opens with three units and a generating capacity of 2,000MW.
1986 – With another three units added, DPS doubles in size and capacity, making it the UK’s largest power station.
2003 – DPS begins co-firing biomass in a series of pilot studies.
2004 – Research and development of direct fuel injection of biomass begins
2009 – Engineering team successfully adapts boilers for co-firing wood pellets and coal
2012 – Drax commits to transforming the power station into a mainly biomass-fuelled generator using renewable pellets to power three of its six units
2013 – First unit is upgraded to use biomass pellets as dedicated biomass rail wagons arrive at new DPS unloading bay
2014 – Second unit upgraded. Construction of four biomass storage domes completed 2015 – UK Government announces plans to close coal-fired power stations by 2025. Work to upgrade the third unit begins. Two new pellet plants are built in Mississippi and Louisiana in US South and our port facility at Greater Baton Rouge is opened.
2016 – Sustainable biomass pellets are used to generate 70% of the electricity generated at DPS.
2017 – In April, the UK grid operates coal free for 24 hours for first time since 1882. A third US pellet plant – in LaSalle, Louisiana – is bought by Drax.
2018 – Fourth unit at Drax Power Station is upgraded to run on biomass.
2019 – In a world first and as part of a BECCS pilot project at DPS, our engineers capture CO2 from an operational plant fuelled by 100% biomass feedstock.
2020 – We announce plans to end commercial coal generation well ahead of the UK’s deadline. The 100th cargo of sustainable biomass sets sail from our Baton Rouge facility in the US destined for DPS.
2021 – Drax expands into Canada after completing the acquisition of Pinnacle Renewable Energy. The deal positions Drax as the world’s leading biomass generation and supply business.
2022 – We submit plans to build our BECCS project at DPS. We open a new pellet plant at Demopolis in Alabama and two new satellite plants in Russellville and Leola in Arkansas. We announce a $50 million expansion of our Aliceville plant in Alabama. We acquire Princeton Pellet Plant in BC, Canada. We open an office in Tokyo, Japan, as we expand our operations into Asia.
2023 – We announce the official end of coalfired generation at DPS. The 200th shipment of sustainable biomass pellets is loaded at our port facility in Louisiana, meaning we’ve now processed more than 10 million tons of pellets through the port.
We announce plans to establish a North American headquarters for BECCS in Houston, Texas.
2024 – UK Government approves our BECCS at DPS planning application.
We launch a new independent business unit, based out of Houston, that will focus on becoming the global leader in carbon removals.
Construction starts on a new pellet plant in Longview, Washington.
We announce our first offtake CDRs agreement with Karbon-X.
