STOP DRAX

It's crunch time for the campaign to stop Drax power station receiving billions of pounds of public subsidy to burn trees in its power station.

The deadline to respond to the consultation on extending subsidies after the current ones run out in 2027 is 29th February - this Thursday! In addition, the campaign groups Biofuelwatch and the Stop Burning Trees Coalition are asking people to lobby their MPs to stop the new subsidies. You can respond to the consultation on extending Drax's subsidies using the template at [https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-action-stop-new-subsidies-for-burning-trees-in-uk-power-stations/](https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-action-stop-new-subsidies-for-burning-trees-in-uk-power-stations/) Write to your MP asking them to stop the new subsidies at [https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-action-please-call-on-your-mp-to-stop-new-subsidies-for-burning-trees/](https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-action-please-call-on-your-mp-to-stop-new-subsidies-for-burning-trees/) Obviously these actions are most effective if people compose their own response using the information provided, but if you're short of time it's still worth doing using the text provided - this only takes a couple of minutes. And for anyone able to get into London on 5th March (next Tuesday) campaigners will be protesting outside the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DEZNS) from 12 noon. The more people who can join the better, and your help in circulating this would be very much appreciated - call-out message below: 🚨STOP DRAX EMERGENCY DEMO🚨 ⏰12pm 📅 5th March 📍Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero (3-8 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2EG) The U.K. Government is currently considering giving £billions more in subsidies to dirty, polluting tree burning power stations Drax and Lynemouth. If approved, we’ll be locked in to years more of tree burning at the cost of our forests, health and energy bills. Come along to demand an end to this scam. Bring placards, banners and a friend! Let us know you're coming: [https://actionnetwork.org/events/stop-drax-emergency-demo/](https://actionnetwork.org/events/stop-drax-emergency-demo/) Website text The UK Government has just announced proposals to use our energy bills to give huge new subsidies to fund tree burning at power stations like rax in Yorkshire and Lynemouth in Northumberland. So far in government subsidies for burning imported wood for energy, claiming this is environmentally sustainable. But lifecycle analysis debunks these claims as does evidence from communities where the wood is sourced and processed - much of the wood comes from the clear-felling of some of the world's most biodiverse forests in the Southern USA, Canada, Estonia and Latvia. Back in 2018, the government seemed to be cooling on biomass, halting new subsidies for new biomass burning. Existing subsidies to Drax are due to end in 2027. However, Drax has found a means to keep the money flowing, by promising to deliver Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) - burning wood and capturing resulting emissions underground. BECCS is unproven, has not been demonstrated anywhere at scale, is unlikely to reduce carbon in the atmosphere and would be extremely costly. But after a year-long planning process, the government has given the green light to Drax’s carbon capture proposal for two of its large biomass units. Now the government is consulting on extending subsidies for biomass burning after 2027. This could cost the public over £4 billion (if extended for only 3 years) or £12 billion if extended to 2035. The ‘transitional’ subsidies are supposed to be temporary until carbon capture technology is available, but there is no end-date for the subsidies and no binding obligation for generators to develop carbon capture. If approved, Drax, and Lynemouth could receive subsidies just for promising to build BECCS in the future, regardless of whether they follow through with those plans The consultation ends on 29 February Please do respond to the consultation and raise this issue with your MP. We will always campaign about the inadequate ambition or urgency of climate action, but it is just as important that subsidies and support are directed to real action and not greenwash.