We’re a little late on reporting this, but Ember’s figures on the biggest UK emitters is worth the read.

Drax power station is by far the largest emitter of CO2 in the country, emitting 11.5 million tonnes of CO2 and nearly 3 per cent of all emissions, more than the next four largest power stations combined, this is followed by Port Talbot Steelworks and Pembroke gas power station.

The UK power stations emitted around 50 million tonnes of CO2 last year, new figures show from recent complete emissions data for 2023. These large power plants include biomass, gas and coal powered electricity, though the last UK coal power plant, Ratcliffe, closes in September 2024.

But this is better looked at in context as the UK power sector emissions have reduced as wind and solar power displace coal and gas generation. Emissions have fallen 78 per cent since 1990, with UK electricity demand falling by around 6 per cent across the same period despite a growing economy.

Many of the largest power sector sites are candidates for future low-carbon energy investment, and some of the top emitting companies are also key investors and developers of renewable projects. Electrification is one promising route available to decarbonise large industries such as steelworks, in early 2024 an electric arc furnace was granted planning permission at Teesside steelworks. Other technologies also the subject of research funding is carbon capture, or the use of hydrogen. At the end of 2023 the first UK ‘hydrogen allocation round’ awarded contracts to 11 hydrogen production projects. The government also identified two clusters for CCS funding in the 2020s through its ‘track 1’ support process, followed by the announcement in December 2023 of details of ‘track 2’ for two new clusters.

The report collates official data from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme registry and company annual reports to produce an annual ranking of emitters by specific asset, and by company. The ranking focuses on direct carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions across 2023, emitted within UK borders.

---