Introduction

Drax aspires to be a leader in the responsible and economic evolution of sustainability in biomass power generation.

We aim to be at the forefront of the introduction of sustainable biomass practices. We have established a policy to drive our fuel procurement activities through a set of sustainability principles that will be applied to our biomass business.

Sustainability Principles

Our policy is designed to ensure that the biomass consumed in our generation facilities is environmentally sustainable. More specifically, our procurement process is designed to ensure that the production and delivery of our biomass will:

• Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared with coal-fired generation and give preference to biomass sources that maximise this benefit.
• Not result in a net release of carbon from the vegetation and soil of either forests or agricultural lands.
• Not endanger food supply or communities where the use of biomass is essential for subsistence (for example, heat, medicines, building materials).
• Not adversely affect protected or vulnerable biodiversity and where possible we will give preference to biomass production that strengthens biodiversity.
• Deploy good practices to protect and/or improve soil, water (both ground and surface) and air quality.
• Contribute to local prosperity in the area of supply chain management and biomass production.
• Contribute to the social well being of employees and the local population in the area of the biomass production.

Implementation

These biomass sourcing principles are based on the developing regulatory and policy initiatives of the UK, European Union and other markets. Over time we will seek to amend or improve them by working with accredited bodies to develop the use of internationally recognised standards and principles which will apply to all of our biomass procurement activities. In so doing we hope to foster environmental leadership today and in the future. Accordingly, we will:

• Use our purchase contracts to ensure our suppliers comply with these principles and provide Drax with the required information to demonstrate that these sustainability principles are being met.
• Participate with applicable regulatory and policy initiatives to share experience, learn, and help shape policy that will ensure sustainable biomass fuels throughout the UK and abroad.
• Systematically review these principles and their application to anticipate, meet and lead sustainability policy in the UK and all of the countries in which we operate.

Anticipated outcome

As a result of this policy we aim to procure biomass only from supply chains that comply with these principles and we will strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% in comparison to coal-fired generation. Furthermore, we will engage a qualified third party to develop and implement a rigorous programme of audit and verification of biomass supply chains to ensure compliance against these principles and our policy.