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Drax is the UK’s largest emitter but received record £999m in subsidies last year.
London, 9 July 2026 — New analysis from think tank Ember finds that Drax biomass power station was the UK’s largest emitter for the eleventh year running, with record emissions of 14.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2025.
Drax emitted four times as much CO2e as the second largest emitter, Pembroke gas power station, and more than the top six gas power stations combined.
Despite the scale of emissions, previous Ember analysis has shown that Drax received a record £999m in subsidies in 2025 for burning biomass for power generation, costing UK households £13 each.
“Drax’s eleventh year running as the UK’s biggest emitter is coming at a high cost. Burning biomass for power generation will never stop being bad value for billpayers or our environment, and must be phased out entirely.” —Josie Murdoch, Energy Analyst – UK, Ember
Over 99% of fuel burned by Drax biomass power station in 2025 was imported. The majority (86.7%) of feedstock was sourced in the US and Canada. A further 13.2% was sourced in Europe, primarily Latvia, with less than 1% of feedstock sourced in the UK. This is despite long-term recommendations from independent bodies to develop domestic biomass supplies.
In April 2026, Drax power station entered the final twelve months of high subsidy payments before a new public subsidy with a cap on generation comes into effect from April 2027. The new subsidy will see Drax’s annual emissions fall to around 5.8 MtCO2e, beginning a phase-down of biomass burning. Despite this, Drax will continue to emit more CO2e than the second largest emitter, all but guaranteeing Drax will be the UK’s largest emitter until at least 2030.
About Ember
Ember is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. It creates targeted data insights to advance policies that urgently shift the world to a clean, electrified energy future.
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