Environmental campaigners demonstrated at the University of Sheffield today in response to the University’s controversial research partnership with woody biomass power station Drax, the world’s #1 tree burner. The campaigners accuse the University of contributing to Drax’s false portrayal of biomass as ‘green’, despite the immense carbon emissions and environmental harm.
The People & Planet society and Extinction Rebellion held a demonstration on the University Concourse, outside the Students’ Union from 12-2pm today. They engaged students and staff with displays and visuals – including a burning tree and cooling tower props – about the harm caused by Drax and the University’s research, handing out over 500 leaflets. They were joined by a samba band and handed in a letter addressed to the President & Vice-Chancellor of the University.
Drax is a biomass power station in North Yorkshire and is the UK’s #1 carbon emitter and the world’s #1 tree burner. It burns millions of tonnes of wood annually, from trees felled in North America & the Baltics which are turned into pellets and shipped to the UK.
The University of Sheffield partners with Drax at the Energy Innovation Centre in Waverley, researching ‘bioenergy with carbon capture and storage’ (BECCS). Drax and the University claim that applying carbon capture to Drax’s biomass energy production will result in “negative emissions.” However, this assertion has been widely challenged by the scientific community. Scientists have warned that the carbon payback time for burning wood for electricity is far too slow to help the UK reach its net-zero 2050 target, and that it will increase global warming for decades to centuries. Drax has also been found to source wood from at-risk ‘old-growth’ forests and was fined £25 million by Ofgem for failing to report accurate data on its wood pellet sourcing. Drax’s pellet mills in the southeastern United States also have dangerous impacts on local communities, including air pollution and higher risks of cancer, which are largely impoverished communities of colour.
The potential application of carbon capture technology at Drax would not only be environmentally questionable but also highly expensive. The UK government would need to subsidize this initiative to the tune of £31.7 billion making it an inefficient and unjustifiable use of taxpayer money.
The University of Sheffield’s partnership with Drax is a stark reversal of its previous commitment to climate action. In 2020, the university made a bold promise to stop relying on the “dirty” electricity supplied by Drax and instead be powered by clean, renewable energy like solar, wind, and hydro power.
Torin Menzies, president of the People & Planet society, said:
“We are demonstrating today to draw the attention of students and staff to the University’s partnership with dirty power company Drax. The University of Sheffield needs to stop aiding Drax’s efforts to falsely portray itself as ‘green’ – we are calling on University leadership to reassess its role in advancing carbon capture research that may strengthen environmental harm and ultimately fail to deliver on the promise of a sustainable, net-zero future.
Dr Ann-Marie Williamson, scientist and Extinction Rebellion campaigner, said:
“By partnering with Drax for carbon capture research, the University is aligning itself with an environmentally damaging, high-polluting corporation. Biomass energy cannot be assumed to be carbon neutral, and large-scale biomass and carbon capture projects should only proceed if they can be demonstrated to provide genuine net carbon-negative emissions within a relevant timeframe — ideally within a decade. The University of Sheffield has a responsibility to ensure that any research partnerships, particularly those focused on carbon capture, are backed by rigorous scientific evidence and demonstrate clear environmental and economic benefits.”
The campaigners went to the President & Vice Chancellor’s office to deliver a letter but staff refused to accept it, leading to the activists ceremonially sticking it up on the office doors before leaving.