Drax power station wins legal battle to build two new gas-fired units

• 3 years ago (2020-05-25)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Gas 369

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The environmental charity ClientEarth has lost a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve two gas-fired generation units at Drax power station in North Yorkshire, UK. ClientEarth had argued that the decision did not take enough account of environmental targets.

The court ruled that the construction of two new gas-fired units and two battery storage units “contributed to security and diversity of energy supply and provided support for the transition to a low carbon economy.”

ClientEarth brought legal action against the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) after the plan to replace two coal-fired units with gas-fired units was announced in October 2019. The charity argued that the decision failed to fully consider meeting the 2050 net zero emissions target.

A spokesperson for Drax said: “The development of new high efficiency gas power at Drax supports the UK’s decarbonising energy system.”