UK-headed renewable energy major Drax Group plc (Drax) has announced that it will establish its North American headquarters for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in Houston, Texas (TX), United States.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
The new office will serve as the hub for Drax’s team focused on bringing BECCS projects to fruition throughout the United States and Canada.
With the growing global demand for high-quality carbon removals, Houston was a natural fit for our BECCS headquarters as it is the energy capital of the world with a proven, highly skilled workforce that will be needed to lead the world’s clean energy transition. Additionally, the US Gulf Coast has emerged as a major hub for carbon capture and sequestration investment and technology, a key component of the company’s plans to expand clean electric generation from renewable resources, said Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax.
According to Drax, BECCS is the only technology that can deliver reliable, dispatchable renewable power while permanently removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
We are thrilled at Drax’s announcement to name Houston as their BECCS headquarters, as it comes at a time of great momentum for Houston’s energy transition ecosystem and further positions the region as a leader in energy efficiency and carbon capture, said Jane Stricker, Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Executive Director and SVP of Energy Transition at the Greater Houston Partnership.
Two sites selected
Two initial sites in the US South for deploying BECCS have been selected and are progressing. Drax continues to evaluate nine further sites in North America, creating a pipeline of development opportunities into the 2030s.
With additional sites under evaluation for further BECCS development, our new Houston office will allow the Drax team to accelerate its work in bringing cleaner and affordable electricity options to the market, Will Gardiner said.
Drax has already started hiring what will eventually amount to over 100 new jobs in Texas to support the company’s rapid growth strategy, particularly focused on the development of new-build BECCS facilities, associated carbon capture and storage infrastructure, and the conversion of coal-fired electric generation plants to BECCS facilities across North America.
Houston is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to a cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable, lower carbon world, and Drax’s ambition to become a carbon-negative business by 2030 aligns with our region’s expertise and continued investment, said Jane Stricker.
With increasing energy demand across the world, BECCS by Drax offers the opportunity for the energy industry and companies to invest in the world’s first carbon-negative power generation.
Drax’s office in Monroe, Louisiana (LA) will remain the headquarters for its North America Pellet Operations, which also include regional offices in Vancouver and Prince George, British Columbia (BC), Canada.
