Power station grows rail fleet to boost its renewable energy supply chain

Energy business Drax is expanding its rail fleet by investing in 30 new rail wagons.

They will be used to deliver the biomass it needs to generate enough renewable power for four million UK homes at its North Yorkshire power station.

The upgraded high-capacity wagons manufactured by British firm WH Davis will help to further reduce Drax’s carbon emissions and make its biomass supply chain more resilient and efficient.

Drax’s fleet of 225 rail wagons were designed and developed by Lloyd’s Register Rail (now Ricardo Rail) and WH Davis based in Mansfield.

The design of these new wagons has increased the amount of biomass able to be transported in each wagon by 30%, allowing them to carry 71.6 tonnes of biomass each, reducing the number of rail journeys required and cutting supply chain emissions.

The first of 30 new wagons are expected to come off the production line early next year and go into operation delivering biomass from the Port of Tyne to Drax.

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax plant director, said: “Our biomass trains deliver up to 30,000 tonnes of biomass to the power station each day, enabling Drax to power millions of homes and businesses across the UK with reliable, renewable electricity and support energy security.

“It’s therefore vital that we have a robust supply chain and investing in these new wagons will further increase our resilience and cut carbon emissions on our Tyne to Drax rail route by more than a quarter, while continuing to support thousands of jobs across the North, including at WH Davis and Davis Wagon Services’ facilities.”

Each train is able to carry sufficient biomass for Drax to generate enough reliable renewable electricity to supply around 800 UK homes for a year.

Jonathan Hamer, managing director of WH Davis, said: “These additional 30 new biomass wagons reflect the strength and depth of the Davis Group, including Davis Wagon Services, to provide a full turnkey solution for customers from manufacture to maintenance.

“This contract builds on the previous supply to Drax for its unique biomass wagon fleet requirements and shows their confidence in the quality and reliability of the WH Davis product.

“As the only rail freight manufacturer in the UK it is important for us to win such contracts to ensure the continuity of skills within our locally based work force. Drax’s confidence in us allows this to continue and develop.”