UK Environment Agency opens public consultation again for Drax plans

In the UK, the Environment Agency has opened a second consultation into a permit variation application from Drax Power Limited in Yorkshire. The operator first applied for the variation in May 2023 to request permission to incorporate carbon capture at its bioenergy plant near Selby. At the time, the Environment Agency held a public consultation to offer people the opportunity to comment on the application. During the Environment Agency’s review of this 2023 application, it considered the applicant had not included sufficient information, so it requested a more detailed assessment. Drax has now provided the potential substances that could be formed in the carbon capture plant and with a more detailed justification for the substances it considers could be emitted to air. A second consultation for the application has now been opened and will run from Tuesday 4 February to Tuesday 4 March, 2025.