“With the growing global demand for high-quality carbon removals, Houston was a natural fit for our BECCS headquarters as it is the energy capital of the world with a proven, highly skilled workforce that will be needed to lead the world’s clean energy transition,” said Drax CEO Will Gardiner. “Additionally, the U.S. Gulf Coast has emerged as a major hub for carbon capture and sequestration investment and technology, a key component of the company’s plans to expand clean electric generation from renewable resources.”
BECCS is the only technology that can deliver reliable, dispatchable renewable power while permanently removing millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“We are thrilled at Drax’s announcement to name Houston as their BECCS headquarters, as it comes at a time of great momentum for Houston’s energy transition ecosystem and further positions the region as a leader in energy efficiency and carbon capture,” said Jane Stricker, Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Executive Director and SVP of Energy Transition at the Greater Houston Partnership.
Two initial sites in the U.S. south for deploying BECCS have been selected and are progressing. Drax continues to evaluate 9 further sites in North America, creating a pipeline of development opportunities into the 2030s.
“With additional sites under evaluation for further BECCS development, our new Houston office will allow the Drax team to accelerate its work in bringing cleaner and affordable electricity options to the market,” Gardiner said.
Drax has already started hiring what will eventually amount to over 100 new jobs in Texas to support the company’s rapid growth strategy, particularly focused on the development of new-build BECCS facilities, associated carbon capture and storage infrastructure, and the conversion of coal-fired electric generation plants to BECCS facilities across North America.
“Houston is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to a cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable, lower carbon world, and Drax’s ambition to become a carbon negative business by 2030 aligns with our regions expertise and continued investment,” said Stricker.
With increasing energy demand across the world, BECCS by Drax offers the opportunity for the energy industry and companies to invest in the world’s first carbon-negative power generation.
Drax’s office in Monroe, Louisiana will remain the headquarters for its North America Pellet Operations, which also includes regional offices in Vancouver and Prince George, Canada.
