Drax Group has expanded its operations into Japan, with the aim to increase biomass sales and support energy security and decarbonisation.
To celebrate the launch of Drax Asia and the opening of a new office, more than 160 guests including government officials, major trading houses, energy businesses and shipping companies, attended a reception at the British Ambassador’s residence in Tokyo.
Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, said: “The global issues facing us today highlight the importance of clean and secure energy supply chains. We are happy to support Drax in their expansion into Japan.”
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Drax Group, the world’s leading producer and user of sustainable biomass, aims to increase its wood pellet production capacity to eight million tonnes a year by 2030 from the current five million tonnes, supporting global efforts to displace fossil fuels and decarbonise energy systems.
As a supplier of sustainable biomass pellets to customers in Asia and Europe, and with more than a decade of experience in converting the UK’s biggest coal-fired power station to use sustainable biomass, Drax describes itself as being uniquely placed to support Japan as it further decarbonises its economy and energy system.
The British-headquartered company is also pioneering bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), an essential carbon removals technology which provides renewable energy while also permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Drax Group’s managing director for Asia, Yasuhisa Okamoto, who is based in Tokyo and will oversee the company’s ambitious plans for growth in the region said: “Drax’s unrivalled expertise across the entire biomass value chain - from sustainable fibre sourcing, pellet manufacturing, supply chain management, biomass power generation and BECCS - can support Japan’s climate targets, accelerating the move away from coal and enabling investment in clean energy technologies.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Japanese companies, supporting them as they decarbonise their businesses, using sustainable biomass.”
Following the reception a team of Drax executives visited a standalone biomass power plant that the company supplies with biomass.
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