DRAX’S NEW LEADER

New Drax Biomass Leader Matt White

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt White was sissippi River in Louisiana is highly named Senior Vice President of Drax restricted and tight controls continue. Biomass on January 6, 2020, coming We’re also in regular contact with from a chemical and logistics provider local, state and federal authorities to to the oil industry where he was direcensure that sustainable biomass suptor, Manufacturing and & Engineering. plies continue to flow. Highlighting the The bulk of White’s career has been in resilience of our supply chain during manufacturing management, helping the pandemic, we loaded our 100th organizations to grow, adapt to change cargo of sustainable biomass at our and increase safety and efficiency by Baton Rouge port facility for delivery developing high-performing teams. He to Drax Power Station in the U.K., holds a Bachelor of Science in Mewhere it helped keep the lights on for chanical Engineering from Rose-Hulmillions of U.K. homes and businesses. man Institute of Technology. Wood Bioenergy posed a few questions to WB: How do you feel the indusWhite as he settles into his leadership trial wood pellet industry is faring role over Drax Biomass operations in during the virus crisis? the U.S., based in Monroe, La. Drax Senior VP Matt White Matt: Our business has been very

Wood Bioenergy: To say that you’ve encountered resilient during this time. This has helped support Drax challenges you didn’t anticipate upon being named SeGroup’s robust global biomass supply chain as it continnior VP for Drax Biomass would be a great understateues to deliver the fuel the U.K.’s largest power station ment. Can you address how Drax Biomass reacted to needs to produce 12% of the country’s renewable electricthe pandemic initially and how things have progressed? ity—enough to supply up to 4 million households.

Matt: In a crisis, people come first. The safety and well-being of our employees is critically important at all times, not just through the pandemic, and the team has been very successful and diligent in working together to promote a safe working environment. We have processes in place to ensure people are working safely and socially distancing when they’re at any of our facilities so as not to spread the virus and we’re in contact with our partners throughout our supply chains to ensure they’re doing the same.

Some of the measures we implemented during the pandemic include restricted travel between different sites, separation of shift workers, social distancing and other provisions across the pellet mills, offices and other infrastructure. Drax’s dedicated biomass export facility at the port of Greater Baton Rouge on the Mis

WB: Coming in, what were/are some of your goals for Drax Biomass?

Matt: The safety and well-being of our employees and our communities is always our first priority across the company as we work to grow our business while reducing costs. Drax Group aims to increase sustainable biomass production capacity to 5 million tonnes a year from 1.5 million tonnes now and cut costs by a third by 2027. Here at Drax Biomass we have a number of projects and initiatives either completed or underway to help achieve that.

These include the new rail spur at our LaSalle pellet plant in Louisiana and the co-location of a sawmill at LaSalle—both of which have already helped reduce emissions and costs over the past year. In terms of in

14 Wood Bioenergy / August 2020

creasing the amount of sustainable biomass we supply, Matt: Biomass-generated electricity will be an im0.35 million tonnes of expansion are already underway portant part of the global climate change solution. It and we expect to add more with the construction of supports healthy forest growth and biodiversity, while smaller satellite plants. providing reliable, flexible renewable power and is a the past few months. This has helped lay a very strong ciencies in the supply chain as we reduce costs. way to deliver much-needed negative emissions.

WB: What was your impression of the Drax operaAdding carbon capture and storage to bioenergy—a tions team coming in? technology called BECCS that Drax is already testing at the power station in the U.K.—takes sustainable

Matt: When I took up the role, I quickly realized that biomass a step further by providing the negative emiswe already had a very strong team. This is helping us in sions that will be crucial to meeting global net zero tarour focus to ensure we have a robust health and safety gets. Last year we announced our world-leading ambiculture as we continue to produce high-quality pellets in tion to be a carbon negative company by 2030 by using the most efficient way and work on expanding sustainBECCS—meaning we would be removing more carbon able biomass supply. dioxide from the atmosphere than is produced right across our operations.

WB: What do you see as some of the biggest chalBecause it can deliver negative emissions BECCS is lenges for Drax and the industrial wood pellet industry a game-changing technology—it is the only negative moving forward in a post-coronavirus world? emissions technology which also produces flexible re

Matt: We have learned that clarity in what we need to around the world to meet climate targets. It’s also an do is really important to us all. Our COVID priorities— opportunity to drive an economic recovery post-COVID keeping everyone, including our local communities, as that helps preserve and create jobs and clean growth— safe and healthy as possible, and keeping our business both here and in the U.K., while also generating renewrunning well—have been fundamental to our success in able power. foundation for moving forward and meeting our goals to WB: What is your opinion of the current effectiveincrease pellet production and implement further effiness of the industrial wood pellet supply chain? newable electricity and as a result it will be needed Matt: Drax Group has a robust and resilient supply

WB: Drax continues to increase its percentage of its chain with specially developed port and rail facilities own pellet production that goes to the U.K. facility. Does and other infrastructure to transport the biomass to the Drax also currently ship to other countries and which power station in Yorkshire. Here in the U.S., Drax built countries seem to have the most potential for Drax? two pellet mills and acquired a third creating 1.5 million tonnes of pellet self-supply. Alongside developing

Matt: We ship all our biomass from our three wood the vital infrastructure, we also designed a world-leadpellet manufacturing plants in Louisiana and Missising sourcing policy to ensure that the biomass Drax sippi to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire in Enguses is sustainable and supports healthy and growing land. This means that we are supplying around 20% of forests. the biomass Drax uses to generate flexible, renewable As an example of how far our supply chain has come power for homes and businesses in the U.K. already, in the past five years, the team here at Drax’s

As we look to the future, we see that the global market Baton Rouge facility has gone from loading its first for biomass wood pellets is growing. We expect it to vessel with 20,000 tonnes of sustainable wood pellets, grow around 5% a year over the next eight years due to to the 100th vessel, which loaded almost 63,000 tonnes. growth in demand from Asia—in particular from Japan. The team did this while achieving an industry-leading This is a positive sign for biomass, safety record, underscoring its as more markets are recognizing focus and commitment to the its benefits and more people are well-being of our employees. supportive of the role it can play in We will continue to work generating renewable power and around the clock to maintain conhelping to meet global climate tarsistent and reliable deliveries of gets. As the global biomass market sustainable biomass to Drax develops, it will bring opportuniPower Station—a critical national ties for the company to capture asset which supplies 12% of the value in other markets. U.K.’s renewable power. We are constantly reviewing our supply

WB: Give us your take on the chain from the forests to the carbon capture movement that Matt White leads Drax’s rapidly expanding oppower station to ensure it is as efDrax is so heavily involved in. erations in the U.S. ficient as possible.

August 2020 / Wood Bioenergy 15