Drax Power, owners of the 4 GW goal-fired plant of the same name, has concluded what is believed to be the UK’s first sulphur trade.
The regulatory framework for tradeable sulphur dioxide (SO2) allowances from England and Wales’ coal and oil-fired power generators came into effect on 1 October 2005. The scheme has evolved from a permit-based regime and paves the way for efficient approaches to emissions abatement.
Commenting on the trade, Dorothy Thompson, chief executive of Drax Power said: “We have long been a proponent of a market that both incentivises and rewards emissions abatement, and we are encouraged by events in the early stages of the sulphur market.”
Although the quantity of sulphur traded, the counterparty or the price was not disclosed, the trade represents an important step in discovering the value of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technology at power stations.