The role of carbon

removals in
helping companies
achieve net zero
Angela Hepworth
Commercial Director, Drax

February 2023
 About Drax

Drax aims to be the global

leader in carbon removals
from BECCS, enabling a
zero carbon, lower cost
energy future

bioenergy with carbon

BECCS = capture and storage
 What’s a carbon removal?

How is the offset generated?

Emission reduction Carbon removal

Is carbon stored? Yes

No Yes How is carbon stored?

1 2 3 4 5
Avoided emissions, or emission Emissions reduction Emissions reduction Carbon removal with Carbon removal with
reduction without storage with short-lived storage with long-lived storage short-lived storage long-lived storage

Forward-looking, Clear retrospective • Avoided damage to • CCS on industrial • Afforestation & • DACCS
counterfactual baseline: emissions data: ecosystems facilities reforestation • BECCS
• Renewable energy • N2O abatement • Changes to ag practices • CCS on fossil-fuel • Soil carbon • Mineralisation
• Cleaner cookstoves • Methane that retain already- power plant • Ecosystem restoration • Enhanced weathering
abatement stored carbon

Less permanent More permanent Less permanent More permanent

Higher risk of reversal Lower risk of reversal Higher risk of reversal Lower risk of reversal

The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting: carbon credit taxonomy 3
 CO₂ removals are critical for achieving climate targets

IPCC carbon removals required in 1.5°C

warming pathways, GtCO2

>50x scale up from today by 2050

9.6
Further ~2x growth until 2100
“Carbon Dioxide Removal is necessary
to achieve net zero CO₂ and GHG
emissions both globally and nationally”

Lowering net emissions in the short-term, counterbalancing

‘hard-to-abate’ residual emissions, and enabling net 1.6
negative emissions in the long-term
~0.1
Today2 2030 2050
1. Range obtained from 1.5°C warming pathways considered in the 2022 IPCC Mitigation of Climate Change report
2. Note: For scenarios with ranges, only the high value is labelled.
25th percentile Average 75th percentile
Source: McKinsey Analysis, IPCC
4
 BECCS removes CO₂ from the atmosphere and stores it permanently underground

How carbon is captured from an emissions source

Key
Flue gasses
Solvent
CO2

1. Flue gas containing CO2 leaves the power production process 4. The solvent containing the CO2 is heated in a re-boiler, which reverses
2. The flue gas is cooled and treated before entering an absorption the chemical reaction separating the CO2 from the solvent
tower
5. The solvent is then re-circulated back into the carbon capture system
3. Inside the absorption tower, a chemical reaction takes place which
6. The now pure stream of CO2 is transported via pipeline for
extracts CO2 from the flue gas. CO2 depleted flue gas is released to
permanent storage under the southern North Sea
the atmosphere
5
 How carbon removals can help companies achieve net zero

High integrity carbon credits can accelerate the transition to net zero

BAU emissions

Residual emissions: IPCC aligned

decarbonisation pathway and
procurement of green electricity

tCO2e Zero emissions

Carbon credits from biological

and technological sequestration

Carbon credits from reduced

and avoided emissions

ICROA, 2020
Time
BECCS offers high quality carbon removals

Additional

Durable

Quantifiable

Sustainable

Source: ICVCM
 Get in touch

Angela Hepworth
Commercial Director
Drax

angela.hepworth@drax.com