Drax power station produced more carbon emissions than any other UK site in 2025 while receiving a record £999 million in public subsidies, according to new analysis from Ember.
The energy think tank says the biomass plant emitted 14.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent during the year, making it Britain’s biggest emitter for the eleventh year running and raising fresh questions over the cost and environmental case for burning imported wood pellets for electricity.
Ember’s analysis found Drax emitted four times as much CO2e as Pembroke gas power station, the UK’s second largest emitter. Its total was also higher than the combined emissions of the country’s six biggest gas-fired power stations.
At the same time, previous Ember research calculated that Drax received £999 million in subsidies during 2025, the highest annual figure recorded for the plant.
Ember claims this has added around £13 to the energy bills of every UK household.
The figures will add to the long-running argument over how biomass emissions should be counted.
Under current accounting rules, emissions released when wood is burned are largely recorded in the country where trees are harvested rather than at the power station itself.
Critics argue this allows biomass generation to be presented as renewable or low carbon despite large quantities of carbon dioxide being released from the chimney.
Ember analyst Josie Murdoch said: “Drax’s eleventh year running as the UK’s biggest emitter is coming at a high cost. Burning biomass for power generation will never stop being bad value for billpayers or our environment, and must be phased out entirely.”
The analysis also highlights Drax’s reliance on fuel shipped from overseas.
More than 99% of the biomass burned at the plant during 2025 was imported, with 86.7% sourced from the United States and Canada. Another 13.2% came from Europe, mainly Latvia, while less than 1% was produced in the UK.
That dependence remains despite repeated recommendations from independent bodies that Britain should develop a larger domestic biomass supply chain.
Drax entered the final year of its current high subsidy arrangements in April 2026, ahead of a new support scheme due to begin in April 2027.
The replacement deal will place a cap on how much electricity the plant can generate under subsidy, which Ember estimates will reduce annual emissions to around 5.8 million tonnes of CO2e.
That would mark the start of a gradual reduction in biomass generation at the site but would not end the controversy.
Even at the lower level, Ember says Drax would still emit more carbon dioxide equivalent than Pembroke, meaning it is likely to remain the UK’s largest single emitter until at least 2030.
Responding to the report A Drax spokesperson said: “Ember’s analysis once again overlooks globally recognised carbon accounting practices, contradicting what the world’s leading climate scientists at the UN’s IPCC say about sustainable biomass.
“Last year Drax Power Station generated a record 15 TWh of dispatchable, renewable power, demonstrating the critical role our business plays in supporting the country’s energy security and helping to keep the lights on for millions of people no matter the weather.
“The support arrangements that underpin our sustainable biomass generation are not unique and are similar to the support granted to other forms of UK power generation.
“We are paid for the power we produce; this includes our hydro and pumped storage sites alongside biomass power generation at Drax Power Station.”
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