Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether, in agreeing new subsidies for Drax for 2027 to 2031, his Department sought assurances from the company that the letter it wrote to the Department on 10 October 2022 about the forests its wood comes from was accurate and complete.

In the letter Drax was responding to questions posed by DESNZ regarding its sourcing of biomass from Canada. DESNZ subsequently consulted Canadian officials and forestry experts on the issues and developed enhanced sustainability criteria, audit and assurance requirements which have been implemented within the new Low-Carbon Dispatchable Contract for Difference with Drax.

Ofgem independently investigated Drax’s annual profiling submission for compliance period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 which concluded Drax had misreported data. In response, Drax made a voluntary redress payment of £25m and Forvis Mazars has been appointed to independently audit Drax’s annual profiling data and reporting. This audit is currently ongoing.