A major environmental controversy has erupted surrounding Drax Group's biomass operations in Canada, with revelations that the power company continues burning trees over 250 years old while receiving substantial UK government subsidies designated for green energy.
The Biomass Debate Intensifies
According to environmental organisation Stand.earth, Drax persists in sourcing ancient trees from Canadian boreal forests for its biomass operations. The company, however, strongly disputes these claims and defends its environmental record.
Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Drax's chief sustainability officer, countered that the vast majority (81%) of their Canadian fibre comes from sawdust and other sawmill residues generated during lumber production for construction. The remaining 19% comprises forest residues including low-grade roundwood, tops, branches and bark.
Drax's Defence and Industry Practices
Veiga-Pestana emphasised that Drax doesn't own forests or sawmills and doesn't decide which areas undergo harvesting. He explained that forests in British Columbia are harvested under strict provincial regulations developed through joint decision-making with indigenous First Nations.
Approximately 94% of British Columbia's forests stand on public land, with legal requirements mandating reforestation to free-growing condition. The Drax executive argued that leaving forests unmanaged isn't the solution, citing last year's devastating Jasper, Alberta wildfire that caused $880 million in damages and released significant CO2 emissions.
The low-grade roundwood highlighted in Stand.earth's report, according to Veiga-Pestana, was material rejected by sawmills following approved harvesting. Without biomass sector utilisation, this residue would typically undergo controlled burning to mitigate wildfire risk.
UK Environmental Leadership Questioned
Meanwhile, Matt Williams of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has challenged the UK government's environmental credentials. He noted the bitter irony that as the UK prepares for a climate conference in the Amazon region, it has signed a new contract paying billions in subsidies to Drax.
Williams highlighted reporting showing Drax continues burning centuries-old trees from Canada while the UK maintains its reputation for global forest protection, established during its COP hosting in 2021.
The senior forest advocate argued that burning imported biomass doesn't represent a credible climate solution, but merely shifts emissions and environmental destruction to other regions. He called for Britain to stop financing forest loss under the guise of green energy and reclaim genuine forest leadership.
Williams concluded that public money should restore and preserve forests rather than reward those responsible for their destruction, putting the UK's environmental leadership claims under serious scrutiny.
