Earl Russell
Main Page: Earl Russell (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Earl Russell's debates with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Drax
Earl Russell Excerpts(1 day, 22 hours ago)
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Lord Whitehead (Lab)
If Drax is non-compliant, the subsidy goes. There is no subsidy in the case of a non-compliant organisation of any kind. If that happens, it will be the end of Drax.
Earl Russell (LD)
My Lords, Drax is under investigation by the FCA regarding its past sustainability claims, which is no small matter. Despite that, the Government decided to put pen to paper to extend Drax’s contract. Why did the Government not choose to wait until the FCA investigation had concluded? What legal advice was taken and what risk assessment was made before the Government chose to extend that contract?
Lord Whitehead (Lab)
We did that because the conclusion of a contract for 2027-31 ensures that Drax continues to produce a very large amount of energy, which is very important for the country; that it does so under enhanced sustainability requirements; and that it moves from being a baseline producer to a dispatchable producer, with a top level of 27% of output within that contract. There is also the implied understanding that the contract will pave the way towards moving to CCS on the back of the contract, making Drax a net-negative producer in the long term.