By Paul Homewood
This is an excellent summary of Drax biomass operations on David Turver’s Substack:
Introduction
Last month, the Government opened a consultation on providing transitional support for biomass plants to bridge the gap from when the current subsidy regime ends in 2027 to 2030 when biomass with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is expected to come online.
This article takes an in depth look at biomass and Drax in particular and the new arrangements proposed by the Government for BECCS.
Read the full story here.
David’s conclusions say it all:
Electricity generation from standalone biomass is already extremely expensive and inefficient. Adding CCS to make BECCS makes the technology a net energy sink which of course is even more expensive. The Government should drop any plans it may have for BECCS.
In an ideal world, we would also stop such large-scale biomass generation too. However, our coal-fired plants are schedule for closure later this year and most of the remaining nuclear capacity will reach the end of its life and close over the next few years. Our gas-fired generation fleet is aging, leading to the risk of blackouts. This will mean that the biomass units at Drax will be essential to keeping the lights on during dark, calm winter evenings when there is no solar power and precious little wind generation. I fear the Government will have no choice but to keep these plants running, spending billions of our cash. However, they should also entertain the heretical notion of keeping the remaining coal-fired plants running and, heaven forbid, consider converting Drax back to burning coal.
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March 3, 2024 at 03:21AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 