Activists blockade Drax office and occupy SSE site

Protestors this morning (30 July) blockaded a London office owned by the Drax Group and also infiltrated the construction site of SSE’s Keadby gas power plant in Lincolnshire.

Reclaim the Power is entering the penultimate day of its “direct action” against energy companies.

The group said “hundreds” of boiler-suited protestors had today “shut down” Drax’s office, however later admitted this was not the headquarters in Noble Street but another office owned by the company. The protest is set to head there later this morning.

Ironically it emerged that the offices originally targeted were occupied by Statkraft, a Norwegian hydropower company.

The activists also said they had shut down both entrances to the Keadby plant and occupied two cranes, shutting down construction.

The group insists that to stay within national legally binding climate targets, the UK cannot afford to build any additional fossil fuel infrastructure.

No more fossil fuels, keep it ground, merrily merrily merrily merrily, we will shut you down! Drax HQ now, London #PowerBeyondBorders pic.twitter.com/Uf12HbItKE

— Reclaim The Power (@reclaimthepower) July 30, 2019

Ellie Groves, of Reclaim the Power, said: “New gas spells climate disaster, that’s why we’re here today at Keadby.

“Temperatures hit 38 degrees in the UK last week, and extreme weather is already devastating many parts of the world. We’re standing  with the people most impacted by the climate crisis.

“Polluting gas power stations like Keadby line the pockets of Big Six energy bosses at our expense. We need clean, cheap, community-controlled renewable power.”

In London, the group’s Milo Phillips said: “The government’s promises to act on climate change are meaningless while dirty gas power stations are still being built.

“Drax’s gas plant in North Yorkshire would be the largest gas power station ever built in the UK. Drax and Keadby are the first in a possible wave of a new generation of dirty mega projects, built to pollute for decades.

“Today we’re shutting down what’s here and what’s coming. We can’t afford any new climate-wrecking gas plants.”

A Drax spokesperson said: “Everyone has a right to peaceful protest. Climate change is the biggest challenge the world faces. Natural gas has an important role to play in supporting the growth of renewables like wind and solar, enabling the transition to a net zero carbon economy. When the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, gas power stations can provide the electricity we need.

“Building new, more efficient gas power stations will help the UK to meet its climate objectives while ensuring homes and businesses have the power they need at a price they can afford.”

An SSE spokesperson said: “We are aware that a group of protesters have gained access to the construction site of Keadby 2 Power Station. Our priority is to ensure the safety of all those on the site and we are working with the police and relevant authorities to resolve the situation.

“SSE’s business strategy addresses the challenge of climate change at its core, as the leading developer, owner and operator of renewable energy across the UK. However, we understand that flexible thermal generation will play a critical role in the transition to net-zero emissions, particularly with the emerging potential for carbon capture and storage technologies. When completed, we expect Keadby 2 to be the cleanest and most-efficient gas-fired power station in Europe, displacing less efficient plant from the system, complementing our renewable assets, and safeguarding customers’ power supplies.”