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New 100% Renewable Power Supply Record Set As Drax Buys Hydro Assets

19 October 2018
 

Drax Group B2B power suppliers has set a new record for businesses using 100% renewable power. Opus Energy and Haven Power, Drax Group’s retail businesses, have collectively provided over 350,000 UK businesses with 100 per cent renewable electricity.

The record was set in the same week ending October 19 that Drax confirmed it had agreed to acquire Scottish Power’s portfolio of pumped storage, hydro and gas-fired generation for £702 million in cash from Iberdrola, subject to Drax shareholder approval.

 

 

Record

This new record number of UK business sites to receive certified 100% renewable power makes Opus Energy and Haven Power collectively the largest suppliers of renewable energy to UK businesses.

Jonathan Kini, CEO of Drax Group’s retail businesses, says power suppliers have a responsibility to encourage and support businesses to be more sustainable and enable the UK to achieve the clean growth needed to meet our climate targets.

A recent Haven Power survey found 59% per cent of businesses think renewable energy is key to a cleaner future, but 80% expect suppliers to take the lead in educating them about their renewable energy options.

Jonathan Kini said: “Every business is different but it seems most want to be more sustainable and play a part in reaching our climate targets – they just need us, the suppliers, to help them achieve these aspirations.

“By making renewable electricity the standard, businesses become instantly a lot more sustainable, which allows us to move the conversation with our customers on to talking about other steps they can take, such as reducing their energy consumption, generating their own renewable power or even using batteries.

“Opus Energy has more than 2,200 SMEs which are already generating their own renewable power – so the appetite for more sustainability is definitely there.

 

Green GB Week (week ending October 19)

Kini continued: “Green GB Week and the tenth anniversary of the Climate Change Act is an ideal time for businesses to celebrate how far we have come in the last decade and also to look ahead to what we still need to do to achieve our ambitions.”

 

Acquisition of flexible, low-carbon and renewable UK power generation from Iberdrola

Drax has agreed to acquire Scottish Power’s pumped storage from Iberdrola which is a portfolio of pumped storage, hydro and gas-fired generation assets and represents a significant expansion of Drax’s flexible, low-carbon and renewable generation model.

 Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group said: “It’s a critical time in the UK power sector. As the system transitions towards renewable technologies, the demand for flexible, secure energy sources is set to grow. We believe there is a compelling logic in our move to add further flexible sources of power to our offering, accelerating our strategic vision to deliver a lower-carbon, lower-cost energy future for the UK."

The Portfolio consists of Cruachan pumped storage hydro (440MW), run-of-river hydro locations at Galloway and Lanark (126MW), four CCGT(2) stations: Damhead Creek (805MW), Rye House (715MW), Shoreham (420MW) and Blackburn Mill (60MW), and a biomass-from-waste facility (Daldowie).

Picture: Clatteringshaws Loch and dam, part of the Galloway Hydro Scheme.

In association with ThisWeekinFM, Haven Power will be hosting a Breakfast Briefing on Thursday October 8 at the Museum of London. To request to be included on the attendee list - Click Here

 

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 19 October 2018

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