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Drax's AGM took place under a cloud of scandal and public outrage. Shareholders and board members were greeted by disruption and theatrical demonstration, including from TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, calling for an end to Drax's destruction of the living planet. Axe Drax members stormed the stage, stood up and shouted over the chair of the event. This was followed by a choir singing a rendition of “Hit the road Drax”. Four shareholders were denied access as Drax suspected they would disrupt the event. Chris Packham joined the disruption, confronting the CEO of Drax about why he did not reply to a request for an interview.
Protestors from the Stop Burning Trees Coalition gathered outside in a musical and colourful protest, alongside members of Unite calling on Drax for better pay and conditions. Climate protestors from groups including Stop Burning Trees Coalition and Extinction Rebellion staged peaceful protests at seven locations along a train line to Drax Power Station. Starting at Liverpool Port, Drax transports millions of wood pellets to the Power Station.
Drax Power Station is the UK's single largest carbon emitter and world's biggest tree burner [1]. Despite this, Drax receives hundreds of millions of pounds in green energy subsidies every year, at the expense of forests, communities and our planet. In the last year Drax made record profits of £1.2bn, whilst receiving nearly £2m in subsidies per day [2]. Campaigners argue that this money should be spent on genuine renewable energy and climate action, not funding dirty tree burning energy.
A recent BBC investigation found that Drax has continued sourcing from primary, rare and old-growth forests in British Columbia; following the 2022 investigation by BBC Panorama on Drax's logging of primary and old-growth forests [3,4]. Drax has been repeatedly accused of driving environmental racism in the Southern US, with low income, black and brown communities suffering severe and ongoing health issues linked to their proximity to Drax's pellet production sites [5].
In January, the UK Government launched a consultation on extending subsidies for burning wood, suggesting giving up to £2.5 billion yearly in subsidies to Drax and Lynemouth (the only two generators eligible), with no clear end date [6].
There has been strong opposition to the Government’s proposals for new wood-burning subsidies from NGOs, MPs, scientists and the general public. Campaigners argue that if these subsidies are approved, the UK could be locked into many years of tree burning, at huge cost to forests, wildlife, communities and the climate [7,8,9].
Quotes:
Chris Packham, presenter and naturalist: "Our living world is being burned alive, and Drax is fueling the fire. Drax's operations are destroying the precious and irreplaceable habitats of many endangered species. In a global biodiversity crisis you cannot justify felling and transporting wood from some of the planets most precious natural resources. It's a disgrace that Drax is receiving huge subsidies meant for genuine renewables, it is past time to stop funding Drax's destruction."
Merry Dickinson, 26, Stop Burning Trees Coalition: "We cannot continue to allow Drax to keep polluting communities, burning biodiverse forests, and raking in billions from the public. It's an outrage that our Government is considering handing billions more to this dirty tree burning scam. Drax's operations come at the cost of our bills, communities health and vital forests around the world. We need real solutions to the climate crisis, a just transition and investment in genuine renewables, not greenwashed corporate scams."
Joe Irving, 23, Axe Drax: "This is the year we must start the transition at Drax, close down this ancient power station, furlough and retrain workers, and pay reparations to the communities severely harmed by Drax's operations here and overseas. We took a stand today because business as usual is destroying the living world, and it is time to get in its way. Drax must fall, and it’s time we start building a world for people and planet, not profit of a few."
Katy Brown, Bioenergy Campaigner at Biofuelwatch, said “Yet again Drax is celebrating huge profits at its annual general meeting which come not only at our expense as bill payers, but at the expense of forests, wildlife, the climate and peoples’ health.”
Ros Rice, a retired librarian from Liverpool said: “Drax is the UK’s biggest carbon emitter and the world’s largest tree burner. It is a travesty that we are paying for expensive and damaging biomass electricity when these funds could be redirected to genuinely green solutions such as wind, solar and home insulation. We’re here today outside the place where lots of Drax’s trains are stored, emblazoned with greenwash, to highlight the reality of Drax’s train of destruction.“
Clare Walters, parish councillor from Huddersfield said: “The impact Drax’s poisonous pellet mills has on the health of communities in the SouthEastern US should be reason enough to end this harmful industry, yet the government is considering awarding billions more in subsidies to Drax for years to come - this cannot happen. It’s time to stop burning trees for electricity, and we must call on the government to stop subsidising Drax now.”
