Drax power station has once again topped the list as the UK’s single largest carbon emitter, according to new analysis by think tank Ember.
Emissions from the biomass-fired plant reached 13.3 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2024, marking a 16% increase from the previous year.
This is the tenth consecutive year Drax has held the top spot.
It now emits more than the next four largest UK polluters combined and more than the six most carbon-intensive gas power plants together.
Its 2024 emissions are equivalent to more than 10% of the UK’s total transport emissions and almost 3% of the country’s territorial total.
Drax burned 7.6 million tonnes of biomass last year, with 99% sourced from outside the UK.
Investigations have highlighted that some of this wood comes from old growth forests, challenging claims of sustainability. Despite this, the plant received around £2 million a day in subsidies during 2024—around £10 per household.
These subsidies are expected to halve after 2027 but Drax is still projected to be the nation’s largest emitter until at least 2030.
The rankings saw a shift following the closure of several coal facilities.
Port Talbot Steelworks, which shut in September 2024, was the second-highest emitter, followed by Pembroke gas plant.
For the first time in decades, no coal power station featured in the UK’s top 25 emitters.
Gas generators still accounted for more than half of the top 25, despite gas power falling to a 25-year low due to rising renewables and energy imports.
Drax remains UK’s top carbon emitter with 16% rise in 2024 emissions appeared first on Energy Live News.