Drax go-ahead puts Government and Planning Inspectorate at odds
9 Oct 2019
The Government has announced that it has approved the installation of four new gas fired turbines for the Drax power station in Yorkshire.
The decision to support the move will be welcomed by management but has been condemned by environmentalists for contradicting a recent ruling from the Planning Inspectorate.
It has warned that the turbines, which replace coal-fired predecessors, could be responsible for three quarters of all electricity sector emissions and breach climate goal and stated policies.
Business secretary Andrea Leadsom said fossil fuel would continue to be essential, not least because of uncertainty over renewables supply.
Environmental campaigners pointed out that sufficient gas capacity till 2035 would be attained by those projects already approved by Government.
However, Leadsom said that the site will be designed to accommodate additional carbon capture equipment at a later date and would enable the UK to increase its battery storage.
STOP PRESS: Negotiations continue with staff at the Ineos Seal Sands acrylonitrile site, after the company announced it would prepare to shut it with the potential loss of more than 200 jobs.
The firm says it has spent nearly £180 million developing the site since purchasing it in 2008. However, it said decades of under investment meant it would need to spend an equivalent sum to ensure its safety standards and environmental requirements were met.
