Drax power station has been crowned the UK’s “largest single source of carbon emissions” yet again, with emissions rising 16% from last year.

Located near Selby in North Yorkshire, Drax started life as a coal-fired power station when it was opened in 1974, but started co-firing biomass by 2010 in response to government concerns about the UK’s carbon emissions.

According to a report from think tank Ember, Drax has now been the UK’s top emitter for the last 10 years running. It was found to emit more than the next four largest polluters combined and more than the six most emitting gas power plants combined. Its emissions are equivalent to over 10% of the UK’s total transport emissions and nearly 3% of the country’s territorial total.

The wood pellets burned by the power plant have an equivalent carbon intensity to coal – which is considered to be the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel – but are burned at higher volumes due to their low energy density, meaning that burning wood emits more CO₂ than coal or gas per kWh of electricity.

The two fuels are not directly equivalent, however, as biomass is sometimes considered to be a climate-friendly fuel due to its renewable nature and the fact that the initial tree growth sequesters carbon from the atmosphere. On the downside, it takes up significant amounts of land to grow that could otherwise be used for food crops. 

Also, while the crop itself sequesters carbon, this does not negate the emissions associated with their agricultural upkeep, such as fertilisers and chemicals or the carbon cost of harvesting, processing and transporting the fuel.

Despite its year-on-year emissions increase, Ember said that Drax received around £2m per day in subsidies in 2024 – an average of £10 per household. The power station burned 7.6 million tonnes of wood, 99% of which was imported. 

Although subsidy cuts are expected to halve support from 2027, Drax is still projected to remain the UK’s biggest emitter until 2030.

“Imported biomass is not clean power – it’s the UK’s biggest single source of climate-damaging carbon emissions,” said Ember analyst Frankie Mayo. “Yet Drax continues to receive millions in public funds and is set to remain the UK’s top emitter through 2030.” 

Following Drax in the list of the UK’s lead emitters is the Port Talbot Steelworks and Pembroke gas plant. Even though the furnaces at Port Talbot were shut down in September 2024, the facility remained in second place due to high emissions earlier in the year. An electric arc furnace is currently being installed at the facility, which will allow it to produce low-carbon steel once built.

For the first time in decades, no coal power plant appeared on the list of top 25 largest emitters following the closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar last year. In 2023 it was the UK’s fifth largest emitter.

Gas generators made up more than half of the top 25 largest emitters. This was despite gas generation dropping to its lowest level in 25 years – just 84TWh, or 30% of total generation. In 2024 energy was gas plants was displaced by cheaper imports and record wind and solar output.