Drax Adds Rail Link
A one-year-old rail link has increased capacity to deliver more sustainable biomass from Drax’s LaSalle BioEnergy pellet plant in Urania, La., to its UK power station. The $15 million rail link, combined with other initiatives, have already contributed to a $5/tonne reduction in Drax’s biomass production costs in 2019.
The five miles of rail track connects Drax’s LaSalle BioEnergy pellet plant to the regional rail network, enabling freight trains to deliver the pellets to the company’s dedicated export facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. The addition of the rail link has allowed Drax to deliver around 7,000 tonnes of sustainable biomass to the Port of Greater Baton Rouge in each train, compared to just 27 tonnes that could be transported by each truck previously.
A team of close to 40 contractors worked through two of the wettest Louisiana winters in decades to clear the site, excavating around 180,000 cubic yards of dirt to level off the ground and stabilize it before three sets of rail tracks could be laid. The work also included installing conveyors to get the pellets to the new rail loading point.
The rail link was commissioned last May and is now fully operational—and is part of Drax’s wider efforts to cut the costs of its biomass by around a third by 2027.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Drax Announces $40M Investment In Arkansas
Drax Sets Sights On Carbon Capture
Pinnacle Renewable Energy To Be Acquired By Drax Group
Earthworm, Drax Working Together
Latest news
IEP Technologies Introduces IsoDisc
Industrial Explosion Protection (IEP) Technologies provides a complete range of cost-effective industrial explosion protection solutions, and have recently introduced the IsoDisc for passive isolation. The IsoDisc is an effective, self-actuating and self-resettable device providing explosion isolation to application handling combustible dusts such as air aspiration inlets of…
Enviva Continues Growth Expansion
Industrial wood pellet producer Enviva reported several operational developments in its second quarter statement. John Keppler, chairman and CEO, noted the company recently commenced construction of its plant in Epes, Ala.; is making swift progress on plans to start construction of a new plant in Bond, Miss.; and has recently filed for a permit for expansion of its Ahoskie, NC…
Bob Vermeer Guided Family Operation
Robert “Bob” Lee Vermeer, who drove the growth of Vermeer Corp. and its line of whole tree chippers and other wood processing equipment, died on August 17. He was 78. His vibrant love of people, passion for Christ, distinct laugh and desire to put others first is what those who knew him will remember most…
Find Us On Social
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Wood Bioenergy News Online hits the inboxes of subscribers in the wood-to-energy sectors.
Subscribe/Renew
Wood Bioenergy is published and delivered worldwide 6 times per year. Free to qualified readers in the U.S. Subscribers outside the U.S. are asked to pay a small fee.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.