Winner: Drax

Finalists: Bytemark Hosting, TSYS

A £700 million project undertaken by North Yorkshire power station Drax to reduce its environmental impact has won it the crown of the Think Green Business of the Year.

While judges praised the green credentials of TSYS, they said the award had to go to Drax based on the sheer impact and the way in which this company has had to integrate thinking green into what had previously been the second biggest polluter in western Europe.

Judges described the company’s green journey as a transformation of the business to what is now a showcase of biomass as an alternative energy source.

They said not only has the company transformed itself, but with its full carbon footprint monitoring through its full supply chain, the company has worked with its suppliers to ensure environmental standards and carbon reduction is a target that is pursued throughout the lifecycle of its product.

Jason Shipstone, engineering manager for biomass at Drax, said: “This award is brilliant recognition of all the hard work that the Drax team has put into the transformation from one of the biggest CO2 producers, to one of the biggest renewable energy projects, and we are very proud of that.”

As the UK’s largest power station, Selby-based Drax meets between seven and eight per cent of the country’s electricity demand. The station is part-way through a project of swapping the burning of coal for biomass.

The work has culminated in the successful conversion of its first generating unit to burn solely biomass in April 2013, supported by newly-constructed, bespoke handling, storage and distribution systems.

A second generating unit was converted initially as an enhanced co-firing unit using at least 85 per cent biomass in May 2014.

The conversion project has benefited farmers near Drax as the company now has a biomass pellet plant at Goole, which can produce 100,000 tonnes of biomass pellets annually using straw by-products and miscanthus from UK farmers.