Drax is giving its old power station ash a new purpose in a game-changing green cement deal.
The company has struck a 20-year joint venture with Power Minerals Limited (PML) to build a cutting-edge facility, that will turn millions of tonnes of legacy ash into Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM), a crucial component of low-carbon cement.
The factory will be built next to Drax Power Station, the UK’s largest renewable electricity generator.
Drax will supply power and sell its legacy Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) to the project, sharing in the profits from SCM sales.
Lee Dawes, Drax’s Chief Operations Officer, called it “a landmark deal not only for Drax, but for the UK construction industry.” He highlighted how “cement production is one of the most carbon intensive processes in the world” and said the project will help cut emissions in construction.
Cement accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions.
PML estimates that using Drax’s ash instead of conventional cement will save at least 6 million tonnes of CO2 over the project’s lifetime.
Production is set to begin by the end of 2026, with an initial capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year.
The project is also part of Drax’s wider plans to extract and restore Barlow Mound, an old ash deposit, while protecting local views and enhancing biodiversity.
This deal positions Drax and PML at the forefront of the nation’s green building revolution, transforming waste into a valuable, sustainable resource.
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