Representation by Ronald Thomas Lawley
- Date submitted
- 5 August 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
If the planning application is approved it will make it more likely that Drax will continue burning trees from some of the world’s most biodiverse forests for decades to come, making the climate crisis worse and harming wildlife and communities living near the pellet mills that supply Drax in the process. Drax’s planning application does not include the application for the pipeline needed to transport the CO2, nor the actual injection of the carbon dioxide under the North Sea. However, a consortium of oil companies has applied for CO2 injections under the sea, and National Grid is expected to apply for planning consent for a huge new CO2 pipeline in the North Sea near Hull, which would be connected not just with Drax but with sites operated by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel polluters, including Equinor, Ineos and Uniper. It will also risk human health as Drax plans to use chemicals called amines to separate or ‘scrub’ the CO2 from the other flue gases. These chemicals release by-products, including nitrosamines and nitramines, which are probable carcinogens that can cause cancer. The project will have significant impacts on local communities and wildlife as Drax’s planning documents show that the development will take at least 4 years to build with constant noise and increased traffic.