Drax, NGIS Partner to Map Carbon Stocks in North America

Drax is a producer, user and seller of biomass pellets. It owns and operates Drax Power Station, which is the UK’s largest single source of renewable power. In 2024, the site generated over 5% of the country’s electricity using biomass pellets primarily sourced from North America.

The new agreement highlights the progress Drax is making on the commitments the company set in its Sustainability Framework, including delivering evidence on forest carbon stocks in all its principal biomass feedstock sourcing areas by the end of 2026.

Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Drax Group Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “We are proud to launch this new partnership with NGIS. This agreement will help us deliver on the commitments we set in our Sustainability Framework including taking action, with our supply chain, to being deforestation, degradation and conversion free.

“We hope this new data of the carbon stock of our sourcing areas can help increase global confidence in biomass as a sustainable resource. It will help inform our work with our suppliers and help us to deliver on our sustainable biomass commitments.

“Sustainable biomass is a secure renewable energy source that can be used to generate electricity for millions of people. Drax sources from forests that are managed for the high-grade lumber used in a range of applications, from construction materials to furniture-making. Processing of trees in forests and at sawmills generates a huge volume of residual wood with few other commercial uses such as defective logs, branches, sawdust, chips and bark. We process these into biomass pellets which we then use to help the UK keep the lights on.”

NGIS is a Google Premier Partner that specialises in Geospatial solutions that use satellite imagery to monitor global supply chains. Under the new partnership, NGIS will use a range of Earth Observation data, combined with Google AI and machine-learning tools to model and monitor the carbon sequestered in forests that Drax sources from. It will also track other indicators of forest health, including tree cover and condition.

The information is presented to Drax on an accessible digital platform through which users can, for example, see satellite imagery with overlays of historical images of where trees have been harvested on one date and then on another later date where regrowth and reforestation have started.

Nathan Eaton, NGIS Executive Director said: “This partnership is a great showcase for the use of innovative Geospatial capability to address Drax’s significant commitments to help meet the world’s increasing demand for secure energy, sustainably.”

Drax is already using the new data in discussions with its supply chain to help tailor initiatives that support forest health, biodiversity and assessing the impact of events such as floods, diseases, fires and hurricanes on forests too.

www.drax.com