drax power station visits

Drax Power Station Tours

Drax Power station

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DRAX POWER STATION (Selby) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Drax Power Station educational visit

Visit Drax Power Station and immerse your students in the fascinating world of energy generation.

• Ages 7 to 11
• Offsite - Drax Power Station, Selby
• 5 March 2024 to 5 March 2028

Drax Power Station provides the most renewable power of any single location in the UK, generating 11% of the UK’s renewable energy or enough electricity to power the equivalent of four million homes.

The tour of Drax Power Station offers a captivating and educational experience free-of-charge, enabling all students to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of energy generation.

The Station has 4 operational boilers, as high as a 15-storey office block, a main chimney taller than the London Eye, and over 1,200 miles of steel tubing, enough to stretch from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again. It’s a site etched on the local landscape since 1974. On a tour at Drax you can see it all first-hand.

Visitors will gain valuable insights into the intricate energy generation process employed at Drax, witnessing first-hand how electricity is produced on a massive scale. They will also learn about the pivotal role biomass plays in ensuring energy security and renewable power, as well as a look into Drax's BECCS project all about the future of carbon dioxide removal which will mitigate climate change, foster a cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape and create thousands of green energy jobs over the next 10 years.

Educational tours of Drax Power Station shine a light on the employment opportunities in the energy sector by showcasing the diverse careers within the power station, from engineers to technicians. The visit will inspire learners to consider engineering as a viable and rewarding career path.

Cost and logistics

This activity is free, and primary school groups are capped at 40 students (including teachers).

Monday to Friday from 10am, with the last tour departing at 1pm.

Tours take approximately 2 – 2 ½ hours.

There is an option to extend the tour to a full day, which includes a visit to the Skylark Centre, an on-site nature reserve where learning can range from exploring the local ecology, to learning more about the power generation process.

Learning outcomes

Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects

Improve attainment and progress in STEM subjects

Learning what the engineering workplace is like

Develop engineering employability skills

Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers

Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering

• Electricity
• States of matter

Working scientifically

Whichever curriculum your school follows, pupils should have the opportunity to carry out practical investigations in science that help them to develop their scientific skills. This experience builds the following enquiry skills:

• Asking questions

Essential skills

The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership . This experience builds the following skills:

Aiming high - the ability to set clear, tangible goals and devise a robust route to achieving them.

Listening - the ability to listen and understand information.

Good for a career in...

• Electronics
• Environment

What the teachers say We would love to read all about your time with this experience!

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Fascinating visit - Drax Power station

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• Selby - Things to Do    
• Drax Power station

This is actually the best guided tour Ive been to. The size of the operation is just massive, the... read more

A visit to Drax on one of the free tours offered during the year is an absolute must. This... read more

Fascinating visit

As we had an overnight stay in Scunthorpe we decided to have a trip over the Humber Bridge and then go to Drax Power Station for a pre-booked visit. We were in a group of 5, and 3 others joined us. The 2 people leading the tour handed out the safety equipment - safety glasses, hi-vis waistcoat and safety helmet and then we were off on the tour bus! A short video explained very well the function of the plant, and there was already a repartee between the leaders and we visitors. The tour took 2 hours, but time flew by as we visited different areas in the plant learning lots of different facts along the way. The tour is free, and well worth the visit. We came out and just said “wow!”. A fascinating and very informative tour - who would have known?!

Hello. Thank you so much for great review. We are glad you enjoyed the tour and hope you can recommend it to others to come and visit! All the best. Tariq

If you are interested in engineering architecture and industry this is a fascinating place to visit. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and friendly and do a great job. However expect a lot of walking up and down staircases and don't wear your best suit as you are visiting a working power station. It it's your thing it's a visit well worth doing

Thank you for your positive review. Yes it's a large site so walking is to be expected but this allows you to appreciate the full scale of operations! Best wishes Tariq

This is actually the best guided tour Ive been to. The size of the operation is just massive, the cooling towers are massive, the boiling rooms is massive etc etc. The tour in itself was very informative. You are guided by former employees who know the place and every aspect of the plant.

Thank you so much for your review! We're glad you enjoyed the tour.

A visit to Drax on one of the free tours offered during the year is an absolute must. This fascinating visit is completely free and takes in all of the vast site. The tour guides are excellent, the visitor centre explains everything at the start of the tour and photography is welcomed. There is a minimum age limit but a great opportunity for children to see this amazing plant - and it's surprisingly sustainable.

Thanks for the positive review! We are glad you enjoyed the tour and hope you can recommend it to others. Best wishes Tariq

Took one of their free guided tours. I had high expectations, but these were easily exceeded. The tour guide was phenomenal, being knowledgeable and also very witty. If you have even only a vague interest in industrial endeavours, you must go on one of these 2-hour tours. I applaud Drax for offering them

We booked ourselves onto this tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. You will almost definitely learn things you did not know before about power production (unless you work in power station!) as the tour guide really knows her stuff. The tour is free. It starts off in the visitors' centre where the generation of electricity is explained (and how the different parts of the station relate to this process) using a small scale model of the plant and then you are taken by electric bus to see the real components in action.

• Drax Power Station Visit

Join the North East and Yorkshire Section as they visit the Drax Power Station for a tour of the site and a presentation on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

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• Past Events

Drax Group is a renewable energy company engaged in renewable power generation, the production of sustainable biomass and the sale of renewable electricity to businesses. It is the UK’s largest source of renewable electricity.

Drax operates a generation portfolio of sustainable biomass, hydro-electric and pumped hydro storage assets across four sites in England and Scotland.

Join the North East and Yorkshire Section as they visit the Drax Power Station for a tour of the site and a presentation on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). BECCS is the process of capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide (CO2) that is generated during the production of electricity from sustainable biomass. It is playing a key role in achieving net zero by 2050.

Important Information

• Must be able to navigate approximately 90 stairs (4 floors).
• PPE is provided.
• Drax Power Station has been trailing the use of peanut shells since 2018. Peanut shell pellets are made up of the bits of shell left after the peanut has been removed. The goal of the production process is 0% peanut content left in the pellet. The peanut is separated from the shell. Whilst every effort is made to remove the nut content completely, there may still be a minimal risk of exposure.
• All vehicles must be parked in the visitors car park which is located at the south entrance of site.

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Graham Stuart MP Visits Drax Power Station

Beverley and Holderness MP, Graham Stuart, visited Drax Power Station today to discuss how it will help the UK to improve its energy security and achieve its aim of being Net Zero by 2050.

Drax Power Station provides the most renewable power of any single location in the UK, which is vital for ensuring the UK’s energy security. They have also developed the only shovel-ready negative emissions technology in the UK which, when operational, will remove up to 8 million tonnes of carbon emissions from 2027, support 10,000 green jobs and help make Yorkshire and the Humber a global hub for green investment and innovation.

During his visit, Graham had a tour of the site and spoke with a range of staff members to learn more about DRAX’s decarbonisation project and the wide ranging economic and environmental benefits it will bring to both Beverley and Holderness and the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber. As the weather was fortunately good, Graham was able to go to the roof of the site where he was treated to a wonderful view that spanned almost the entirety of Yorkshire, including Beverley and Holderness.

Following Graham’s visit to the site, Bruce Heppenstall, Plant Director of Drax Power Station, said: “We were delighted to welcome Graham Stuart MP to Drax Power Station, to see for himself the vital role Drax plays in generating reliable, renewable, electricity for millions of homes and businesses. “Drax’s plans to use the pioneering negative emissions technology bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at our North Yorkshire plant to capture 8 million tonnes of CO2 each year from 2030, whilst continuing to generate the renewable electricity the UK needs to ensure secure supplies – no other technology does both. BECCS at Drax will also create and protect tens of thousands of jobs and support levelling up in the North.”

After visiting the Power Station, Graham commented: “It was great to be able to visit DRAX Power Station today to learn more about their ambitious decarbonisation project, which will help the UK achieve its aim of being Net Zero by 2050 and help make Yorkshire and the Humber a global leader for green investment and innovation.”

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Power trip – Inside Drax

The term biomass will be familiar to many, but what is it, where does it come from, and how is it used chris milner visits drax power station, the first in the uk to switch to biomass consumption on a large scale, and finds out how rail plays a vital link in the supply chain..

ANYONE who has travelled north along the East Coast Main Line between Doncaster and York can’t fail to have noticed Drax power station, prominent in the flattish landscape – a thin veil of vapour drifting skywards from some of its 12 cooling towers.

Drax plays a key part in electricity generation for the UK. Its six generators – three running on coal and three on biomass – can produce a combined output of 3,960 megawatts, the highest of any power station in the UK, which represents around 7% of the country’s total energy needs, of which 5% is renewable. Conversion of a fourth to biomass is under review, so that would mean an increase in rail traffic.

Drax takes its name from the nearby village, and the first phase, with three generating plants, was opened in 1974 under the auspices of the Central Electricity Generating board, its location being determined by the then recently discovered Selby coalfield and the proximity of the River Ouse.

The Selby coalfield also led to the expansion of Ferrybridge power station and also the supply of locally mined coal to Eggborough power station, near Knottingley, which is roughly half the size of Drax.

In 1986 a second phase of three more generating plants opened, and it became the last coal-fired power station to open in the UK.

After the Selby coalfield closed completely in 2004, the three power stations switched, in the main, to burning imported coal that arrived by rail from Immingham, Hunterston and Tyne, along with opencast coal mined in Ayrshire.

Although Drax is marginally closer to the Ouse, it was dubbed one of the Aire Valley power stations along with Eggborough and Ferrybridge.

After several changes of ownership from CEGB days, Drax has been operated by Drax Power since 2005, and is part of the Drax Group, a company listed on the Stock Exchange, headed up by CEO Dorothy Thompson.

As is well-known, UK electricity is generated from coal, gas, oil nuclear and biomass, but it was growing concern over carbon emissions, not just from power stations, that focused attention on how emissions could be reduced nationally.

The first tests on burning biomass were carried out at Drax in 2004, when 14,000 tons of locally sourced willow was burnt.

So what is biomass?

Biomass is biological material obtained from living or recently living plant matter – forest residues, dead trees, branches and  tree stumps – that can be processed and used to create electricity, fuel and heat. Biomass has been used for thousands of years and comes in many forms. The materials that Drax use include sustainable forestry and forestry residues; residual agricultural products, such as straw, sunflower seed husks and peanut husks; and purpose-grown energy crops.

The material is processed and compressed, and the finished product looks like a brand of cat litter!

In 2009, Drax submitted a planning application to build a 300MW biomass energy plant next to the power station, and although the scheme gained Government approval, Drax dropped the plan in 2012 due to costs and uncertainty over Government financial support.

Drax had also been looking at carbon capture systems for many years, and even though such schemes were not commercially viable, in July 2012, the company said it would begin the process to convert three of its six coal-fired boilers to burn sustainable biomass.

The first biomass unit came on stream in April 2013, with a second coal-to-biomass conversion being completed in October 2014. The third unit came on stream last year.

One of the key differences between pulverised coal and biomass is that coal will still burn if it is wet. If biomass gets wet, it is ruined, hence all the precautions needed to keep it dry.

So, even before the first rail movements began from the Port of Tyne in 2010, which were contracted to GB Railfreight, special air-operated doors had to be designed and fitted on the top of former coal hoppers, which protected the biomass from moisture. At the Port of Tyne, one of three sites where biomass is imported, special handling and storage systems had to be built, representing an investment of around £100million.

Because of the quantities of biomass that needed to be burnt each year – around 7.5million tons – new unloading, storage and conveyor systems were needed at Drax too, and these were opened in December 2013.

However, to feed three furnaces with so much biomass, you need a reliable, flexible and solid supply chain, so I paid a visit to Drax to find out more and how rail was instrumental in that chain.

Twin tracks

The power station is on a 2,000 acre site, with high fences topped with razor wire and CCTV monitoring. Security is taken very seriously, more so after a protest in 2008 that halted trains. The plant has its own security force which regularly patrols the perimeter and local roads, plus its own ambulance and fire engine.

At the south end of the site, access to the power station is by a pair of twin tracks running for 4.5miles from Hensall Junction on the Knottingley to Goole line. After passing under the A645 road, the two tracks split into four – two serving the biomass discharge shed and two for coal discharge. These four tracks continue around the site, merging again to head off back down the branch. At the north end of the site are sidings for transfer of flyash and gypsum, which can be carried out without interruption to the flow of biomass trains.

As mentioned previously, the supply chain is critical to the whole process, and the majority of biomass burnt by Drax comes from North America, where there are extensive forests. Biomass is also supplied to the power station from Canada, Latvia and Estonia, all moved by rail in the UK.

In the USA, the raw product is transported to one of two processing plants owned and operated by Drax Power – the Morehouse plant at Bastrop, Louisiana and the Amite plant at Gloster, Mississippi. Both plants are located in areas hard-hit by recent consolidation in the pulp and paper industry, resulting in a surplus of low-value wood from timber harvesting operations. Both sites were commissioned in August 2015 and Drax has even set up a biomass HQ in Atlanta.

At both plants, the biomass pellets are produced almost entirely from southern yellow pine, locally sourced from small and large landowners in Louisiana and Arkansas.

The Bastrop plant despatches 30 wagonloads every day on a 200-mile journey – with haulage contracted to Union Pacific – to a specially built shipment facility at Baton Rouge, on the Mississippi river, where there are storage facilities for 80,000 tonnes of biomass. The two plants can produce a combined output of 900,000 tonnes each year.

Creating the facility at Baton Rouge brought an old rail yard back into use, led to a public jetty being upgraded, and the spinoff has been the creation of other new businesses, all stimulated by Drax.

Baton Rouge, which also takes pellets for Drax from a third-party supplier, was chosen for shipment as it is the closest deepwater port to both plants that can accept ‘panamax’ class cargo ships that have a capacity for between 65-80,000 tonnes. Because biomass is a volatile cargo, the ships have to be fitted with CO2 suppression systems.

These vessels dock at either Liverpool, Immingham or the Port of Tyne, each location having storage facilities. Tyne can store 70,000 tonnes, Immingham 200,000 and Liverpool 100,000 tonnes. Hull can be used as a back up too, but has a smaller capacity of 30,000 tonnes.

Onward movement to Drax is by rail. GB Railfreight has two contracts with Drax, one for moving biomass from Tyne, and the second (which began last year from Liverpool), linking with a shorter sea crossing. The third contract is with DB Cargo, which handles biomass imported to Immingham.

Because the supply chain is so critical, in a back office at the power station a team controls the flow of biomass. Monitoring usage and what is in store, they are in contact with the shipping companies and can ask them to speed up or slow down as appropriate, and could even change destination port. The North Atlantic weather plays a key part in this monitoring to ensure on-time deliveries.

Britain’s Victorian rail infrastructure is undergoing vast modernisation, and having a choice of route from the west or east coast ports to Drax means that a minimum of one option is always open should disruption occur, thus ensuring continuity of supply.

When the resignalling of Barnetby and North Lincolnshire took place last year, there was a 10-day cessation of biomass trains from Immingham, Tyne and Liverpool, stepping up capacity.

While the punctuality of the ships carrying the biomass can vary, the rail timetable is far more precise.

Looking at each rail route, from Liverpool there are up to three working timetable (WTT) paths on a weekday, which will increase in time, five variable paths from Immingham, and a couple from Tyne.

Circuitous route

Liverpool trains travel via a very circuitous route to Drax, running through Earlestown, Warrington Bank Quay, Acton Bridge, Northwich, Stockport, Denton, Ashton Moss Jct, Todmorden, Healey Mills, Pontefract and Knottingley, the schedule being around six hours.

The Immingham service is also slightly circuitous, running via Barnetby, Hatfield & Stainforth and Knottingley. In contrast, the Tyne services are less complex, running via Sunderland, Stockton and Yarm, then the ECML to Colton Jct, before being routed via Church Fenton, Milford Jct and Knottingley.

It can be a very fluid situation for deliveries; during my visit both coal and biomass trains arrived, demand for either being driven by the power station’s requirements.

Because of differing sources of the coal, it is often blended on site.

Gypsum, a by-product of the de-sulpherisation process in the coal-fired side of Drax, is despatched by rail to Hotchley Hill (East Leake) or Kirkby Thore (Cumbria).

Other by-products are Pulverised Fuel Ash and Furnace Bottom Ash. Quantities of ash are used in the construction industry to make building blocks and other products, while some ash is transported to landfill, an example being the power station’s nearby Barlow Mound, which has been developed into farmland, woodland and wetland features, providing a haven to many species of wildlife and birdlife.

Each train moves around 1,600 tonnes of biomass, so around 25,000 tonnes of biomass is delivered to Drax daily from the three ports, and although the power station would take more, both lack of resources at the port and additional train paths mean there are constraints on deliveries.

The lack of paths could get worse as demand increases to run more frequent passenger services across the Pennines, the alternative being longer, less direct routes or other freight operators being forced to relinquish paths that are dormant, and have been for some time.

On arrival at the power station, the incoming biomass trains are routed over one of two biomass unloading roads. At a speed of ½mph, the biomass drops onto conveyors and the bulk load of wooden pellets is carried into the storage dome. En route to the dome, there is a process where any foreign objects that won’t combust are filtered out of the biomass flow.

Drax has four domes – 55 metres high and 65 metres wide – that are visible from the main rail access point. They were the largest project of its type in the UK, some 30% larger than the Royal Albert Hall.

Each dome holds 75-80,000 tonnes of biomass, and are weatherproof and gas tight. This is because biomass is a volatile commodity, and while in store nitrogen gas is pumped into the domes to eliminate the fire risk. When being moved by rail no such facility is possible, but the risks are much smaller. The domes also have vents at the top that can be opened to relieve pressure should it build up.

Supply chain

With each boiler consuming around 8,000 tonnes of biomass every day, there is always 10-12 days’ supply on site, as well as further product in hoppers at the ports, which is why the supply chain can be so critical.

The pellets are moved by conveyor from the domes to a ‘day silo’, which has around three hours supply, before a more localised hopper is used, where the product is ground to a fine dust in a crusher filled with 10 one-tonne steel balls, before being blown into the furnaces.

Steam from the boilers is fed to six turbines in the turbine hall, one of the few non-photography areas I encountered, each turbine spinning at 3,000rpm to create electricity that is routed to the national grid. Each turbine is overseen by one of six control desks that monitor supply and output.

As well as the product, the dust is volatile too, and steps are taken using vibration and a complex ventilation system to minimise problems. Staff who work near or have to access the unloading or conveyor areas must wear a breathing mask that covers nose and mouth as well as gloves and eye protection.

Because the thermal efficiency of biomass is lower than coal, each boiler burns more of the pellets, but the cost ratio is lower as are the CO2 emissions.

Having made the move to burn biomass, Drax took the decision to have special wagons designed. While the converted coal wagons initially used by GBRf worked well, there was a view that more product could be transported for no extra cost.

Working with Lloyds Register Rail (now Ricardo Rail) and Network Rail, a design for a new type of wagon was pushed forward, first being unveiled at the NRM in July 2013.

The prototype was made by W H Davis, of Shirebrook, which has since completed orders for a total of 225 wagons, split into nine 25-wagon rakes.

Coded IIA under Tops, the wagon body is made of stainless steel, the designers managing to increase the capacity over the converted coal wagons by 30%, giving it a payload of just under 72 tonnes, while remaining within the loading gauge. Each wagon is 18.9 metres long. The bottom doors measure 3.7m and discharge is controlled by lineside magnets.

The wagon is technically advanced too, with unique door designs and a patented product flow control system to manage the biomass during discharge. By using rail, an estimated 270,000 lorry journeys each year are eliminated.

Fourth boiler

With the Government signifying the end of coal-fired power stations by 2025, Drax is well placed to convert a fourth unit to biomass, perhaps even a fifth, but still needs to address concerns relating to product quality, global warming and managing disruption to shipping flows. If a fourth boiler was converted, more biomass wagons would also be needed, and then there may also be demand from GBRf or DB Cargo for faster freight paths.

With the country facing some uncertainty over imports and exports, for once, rail is in a good position with some excellent growth potential on the horizon.   ■

■ Thanks to Jennifer Davies and the team at Drax for their help in the preparation of this feature.

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Biomass Connect Visit Drax

31 March 2023

Recently, members of the Biomass Connect team had the opportunity to visit the Drax Power Station, located in Selby, North Yorkshire. The station is the largest power plant in the UK and is responsible for producing around 7% of the country’s electricity. Drax is also the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, and the company is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Drax Power Station

During our visit to the station, we had the chance to learn about the innovative technology used to generate electricity from sustainable biomass, including wood pellets made from waste wood. The process involves converting the biomass into a gas, which is then burned to produce steam. The steam drives turbines, which generate electricity, and the waste heat from the process is also used to produce steam for industrial processes, making it an efficient and sustainable way to generate power.

We were impressed by the scale of the operation at Drax, which has six generating units and produces enough electricity to power around 4 million homes. We also learned about the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions ( BECCS ), which is then used for industrial processes such as carbonating drinks. (Read more about BECCS in our Technical Article here: https://www.biomassconnect.org/technical-articles/bioenergy-with-carbon-capture-and-storage-beccs/ )

Overall, our visit to Drax Power Station was an insightful and informative experience. It was fascinating to see how sustainable biomass is being used to generate electricity on a large scale, and we were impressed by Drax’s commitment to decarbonisation. We are grateful to the Drax team for their hospitality and for the opportunity to learn more about this important project.

To give you a taste of what we experienced during our visit, we have included a video clip that shows various clips of our tour of the facility. We hope you enjoy watching and learning more about Drax Power Station.

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Cruachan ‘Hollow Mountain’ Visitor Centre wins five star VisitScotland rating

Drax’s Hollow Mountain visitor centre at Cruachan Power Station has been awarded a five-star rating by VisitScotland, with the centre ranking among the top 1% of attractions across the country.

21 May 2024

Located on the northern shores of Loch Awe in Argyll, Scotland, Cruachan is an underground pumped storage hydro power station housed within a man-made cavern large enough to fit Big Ben on its side. Built in the 1960s, the iconic power station took six years to construct, with thousands of workers involved in drilling, blasting, and clearing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rock and spoil to make the subterranean world.

To earn its five-star rating, a ‘secret shopper’ style visit took place to assess how the visitor centre was performing. The facility earned top marks for the performance of its employees in areas including hospitality and friendliness, service and efficiency, cleanliness all areas, appearance.

Sarah Cameron, Drax’s Scotland Community Manager, said: “Everyone at Cruachan is delighted to be recognised among the top 1% of visitor attractions in Scotland. The power station is such a special and unique place, and it is wonderful to be able to share it with visitors from across Scotland and around the world. “Tens of thousands of visitors come here each year to see this engineering marvel which is hidden inside a mountain. However, what’s above ground is also well worth a look. The centre has incredible views of Loch Awe, and you can enjoy them with a cup of tea and homemade scone from our café.”

David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland Regional Director said: “The Cruachan Visitor Centre team is committed to delivering a world class experience for their guests. “We hope this hard-earned five-star rating will encourage even more people to visit this iconic power station and learn about its fascinating history.”

Visitors can take guided tours inside the subterranean world into the heart of the power station to learn about the history of the site and the critical role it plays today in keeping Britain’s lights on. The visitor centre has a host of interactive exhibits alongside a café, gift shop, and picnic area.

The visitor centre is open from 9.15am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday. Tours must be booked in advance and can be done online at visitcruachan.co.uk/request-a-tour/ or by calling 01866 962630.

Media contacts:

Aidan Kerr, Senior Media Manager E : [email protected] T : 07849090368

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