drax

Everytime we boil a kettle or switch on the tv, we use electricity – but do we think about where that
comes from?

Selby Abbey Scouts got the chance to find out when they had a trip to Drax Power Station and
saw it in action.

This huge plant provides no less than eight per cent of the nation's electricity, so it is a huge
operation.

We were amazed when they found out that the chimney (the tallest in the world when it was built in
1969) is so tall that it takes 20 minutes to travel to the top of it in a lift; and that the inside of each of
the 12 cooling towers is the size of two football pitches!

Six huge boilers, each as high as a 15-storey office block, are housed in a noisy and dusty main
building, along with coal pulverisation machines, which shake so violently that the walls and floor
have to be reinforced to stop them from collapsing!

Creating electricity is not kind to the environment as burning coal produces a huge amount of
pollution. However, the group were told, Drax Power Ltd takes this very seriously and try very
hard to do as much as they can to limit the affects of pollution.

This includes building a de-sulphurisation plant which removes at least 90 per cent of the sulphur
dioxide from the smoke, which would otherwise cause acid rain.

They also buy much of the coal used from different parts of the world, which has lower sulphur
content than much of the coal produced in the UK.

Oxides and nitrogen, also produced from burning coal, are reduced by the use of low-NOx
burners.

Outside, the site is landscaped with a variety of trees and shrubs which, say Drax Power Ltd,
makes the power station carbon neutral by soaking up carbon emissions.

The ash produced from the station (when it cannot be sold for filling in disused mines) is even
turned into an attractive feature by being grassed over and planted with trees and shrubs.

The mounds are not randomly built, however – one was even designed by a Professor from
Sheffield University! They are also carefully monitored on a regular basis to make sure they are safe
and not about to collapse.

A large part of the site has been turned into a wildlife reserve and the Scouts saw foxes and deer as
well as many birds even though it was a very wet and cold evening.

We all enjoyed the trip and were amazed at how big Drax Power Station was. It made everyone
think about how we use electricity and how much work goes into producing it.