Drax Group

Drax Group operates the world's largest biomass power station in the UK, fueled primarily by wood pellets. Its U.S. subsidiary, Drax Biomass, operates pellet mills in the Deep South that have amassed over 18,000 documented environmental violations. These include thousands of incidents exceeding permitted limits for toxic air pollutants like formaldehyde and acrolein, as well as repeated water contamination events.

In 2022, Drax paid $3 million to settle claims over toxic pollution from its Gloster, Mississippi plant. Residents of Gloster are now suing the company, alleging unlawful exposure to massive amounts of pollutants.

Investigations by journalists and NGOs, supported by whistleblower testimony, allege Drax sources wood from primary forests. The company publicly denies this, but the opacity of its supply chain — including a failure to fully detail Canadian wood sources cited by Mississippi regulators — undermines its sustainability claims.

Drax-owned mills have repeatedly failed to utilize required pollution control equipment. Regulators denied the company a permit for a new pellet mill in Mississippi following community opposition, citing 55 known toxic compounds that disproportionately impact environmental justice communities.