Drax cements position as the cleanest, most efficient power station in the UK as £100m turbine upgrade nears completion

May 10, 2012

Drax Power Station is a month away from completing the largest steam turbine modernisation programme in UK history, thereby increasing its overall efficiency and reinforcing its position as the most efficient coal-fired power station in the UK.

The project, which has taken five years to complete and cost £100 million, will enable Drax Power Station to reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide (”CO₂“) by one million tonnes a year, equivalent to taking 275,000 cars off the road. The increased overall efficiency of almost 40% will also improve reliability and availability in generation output, delivering greater value to the business.

Siemens AG (”Siemens”) was awarded the £100 million contract to modernise all six units at the power station in 2007. Over the subsequent five year period, together Drax and Siemens have replaced the low pressure and high pressure turbines on all six units at the power station. The new turbines, manufactured by Siemens Germany, consist of 28 separate turbine rotors weighing over 2,800 tonnes, and over 80,000 individualised turbine blades, which, laid end-to-end would stretch the distance of the London marathon.

The successful completion of the upgrade reflects the strength of the unique, industry-leading relationship between Drax and Siemens in Newcastle and in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Employees from both companies worked together as a united team to implement the project whilst ensuring minimum disruption to electricity generation at Drax. The combined team effort enabled the project to move forward smoothly to final delivery.

Commenting on the project Peter Emery, Production Director at Drax said: “The £100 million investment by Drax in this project demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering leading operational performance. The completion of this project makes our turbines amongst some of the most efficient in the world and its successful completion is due to our excellent collaborative relationship with Siemens in Newcastle and Germany. As the UK’s largest coal-fired power station, we take our responsibility to cut carbon emissions seriously and this project marks a significant milestone in our efforts to do that.”

Darren Davidson, Head of Projects Energy Service Fossil, Siemens Newcastle said: “ We are delighted to have been part of this key project for Drax , and to have contributed to its carbon emission reduction and efficiency targets so significantly. Over the past five years, each unit has been delivered successfully and on schedule. We have worked with Drax from the start of the tendering phase , helping to bring to light issues relating to the sustainability of the plant, and together during the project execution work to deliver improvements in design through to installation to achieve project objectives.

“The whole team has demonstrated excellence throughout the project. We have to thank the team at Drax and our colleagues in Newcastle and Muelheim for their cooperative approach, which has embraced great teamwork principles throughout. We look forward to continuing to support Drax on future projects .”

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Notes to Editors

For more information, please contact the following people:

· Drax contact: Stephanie Blott: 020 7618 9165 or drax@luther.co.uk

Website www.draxgroup.plc.uk

· Siemens contact:Rachel Odams : 01604 696614 / 07808 824209 or rachel.odams@siemens.com

About Drax

Drax Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Drax Group plc , is the owner and operator of Drax Power Station, the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal fired power station in the UK. The output capacity from the station’s six generators is 4,000MW.

At current output levels Drax supplies some 7% of the UK’s electricity needs . Drax is already delivering significant CO₂ emissions reductions through both the turbine upgrade and burning sustainable biomass in place of some of its coal.

About Siemens in the UK

Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs 12,972 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.4 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk

* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.