Drax’s plans to build Europe’s largest gas power station have been put on hold after lawyers mounted a High Court challenge against the government’s support of the project.
Environmental lawyers representing ClientEarth announced it is to challenge Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom’s decision to approve Drax’s gas plans.
Drax, which has a large power station between Goole and Selby, wants to replace its existing coal-fired units with four new gas turbines.
The application went to the government’s own Planning Inspectorate, which recommended refusal.
However, Ms Leadsom went against recommendations from the Inspectorate, and gave approval to Drax’s plans.
Now, ClientEarth has appealed Ms Leadsom’s ruling and ordered a judicial review.
Sam Hunter Jones, climate lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “In its planning application, Drax failed to explain how this emissions-intensive gas project squares with the UK’s carbon targets and its strategy for clean growth.
“And the Government’s own energy forecasts show that the UK does not need a major roll out of new large-scale gas generation capacity.
“The Secretary of State has ignored the recommendations of her own planning authority, and her decision is at odds with the government’s own climate change plans to decarbonise in a cost-effective manner.”
Back in 2017, Drax outlined plans to create up to 3.6GW of new gas generation capacity, and up to 200MW of battery storage.
It comes as Drax looks to reshape its business amid the UK’s 2050 vision to become net-zero for carbon emissions.
In the Humber region, the challenge is to become net-zero by 2040.
Drax last year launched a pilot carbon capture and storage project at its power station.
The vision is to create an underground pipeline running from Drax’s plant in North Yorkshire, through the Humber region and into the North Sea.
Carbon-emitting businesses along the Humber Estuary would be able to offload carbon into the pipeline, for it to be stored in pockets underneath the sea.
Drax also last year outlined bold plans to become carbon-negative by 2030.
Its future gas plans have however suffered a blow after the announcement from ClientEarth.
A spokesman at Drax said: “Drax’s ambition is to become carbon negative by 2030 using ground-breaking bioenergy with carbon capture and storage technology (BECCS) to remove millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, making a significant contribution to the UK’s climate targets.
“Drax’s carbon negative ambition could be achieved with new, high efficiency gas power capacity as part of our portfolio of flexible generating assets.
“Drax Power Station plays a vital role both as a major employer in the north and in producing the reliable, flexible renewable power millions of homes and businesses rely on.
“We are exploring a range of options using different, flexible technologies, including this high efficiency gas project.
“It could support the continued decarbonisation of the energy system, helping the UK on its path to net-zero by 2050, in line with the government’s policies.”
ClimateEarth has previously argued the government’s own climate body, the Committee on Climate Change, has warned there should be no more gas on the UK grid by the mid-2030s without carbon capture and storage.
It added the government’s latest forecasts estimated the UK will need just 6GW of new gas generation to 2035 and has already approved 15GW worth of large-scale gas plants.
Approving Drax’s project would take total planned gas capacity to 18GW – three times the Government’s estimates, ClimateEarth argued.
