THE new chief executive of Drax Power is calling on the Government to continue its support of renewable energy as the North Yorkshire power station continues its shift away from coal.

The power station near Selby, which is one of the largest in Europe, will this year start converting its third coal-fired unit into a biomass burner as part of a £700 million project to become the biggest renewable plant in the world.

To date only three of Drax’s six power generating units have received government support in the form of contracts guaranteeing the price of electricity produced from renewable sources.

With the contracts only in place until 2027, Drax bosses have said they would like to see further support from government if they are to consider converting the remaining three units.

Andy Koss, chief executive of Drax Power, said: “We would very much like to engage with the Government on their future plans around renewables.

“We would still very much like to see a fourth unit conversion here . We have a really good relationship with government and that goes from Number 10 to the Department for Energy and Climate Change. They really understand the economics and the affordability behind biomass .”

Mr Koss was appointed chief executive of Drax Power earlier this month following a restructure within the Drax Group with operations split into three businesses.

Drax Power will continue to be operated out of North Yorkshire, producing between seven and eight per cent of the country’s electrical needs, while the group’s biomass pellet supply facilities in the US will become a separate arm, with its retail supply business Haven Power completing the trio of subsidiaries.

Mr Koss, who joined the business ten years ago, said discussions need to begin now with the Government over what commitments may be made beyond 2027.

He said: “The longer we leave the conversion the less time there is to recover the money we spent on the plant. It becomes increasingly more difficult.

“We would like to make the case for us to be given longer contracts.

“Drax is a strategic asset, and will be around for many years to come. However, if we don’t get support we will have to run less as our cost to produce energy will go up.

“We find it very hard to see that Drax will disappear off the system in 12 years. I can’t imagine we won’t be running, it’s just the amount we will be producing that’s uncertain.

“Action needs to happen now. If we get to 2020 and nothing has changed, it’s too late to start implementing conversions if we put everything on hold for five years. You have to keep the momentum going in this industry.”