Senior executives at Drax have secretly expressed doubts about the company's claims on sustainability, according to court documents obtained by several news organizations. This revelation comes after Drax publicly denied allegations that it was using old-growth forests from Canada for fuel.
The energy giant has been under fire since a BBC Panorama documentary exposed concerns over its biomass pellet sourcing practices. The company assured ministers and civil servants of its green credentials, but internal memos suggest that senior executives were uncertain about the validity of these claims.
Drax's chief executive, Will Gardiner, publicly denied any wrongdoing, stating that 80% of the material used to make its biomass pellets was sawmill residue. However, court documents reveal that some executives raised concerns about the company's ability to evidence the sustainability of its biomass.
The tribunal hearing heard testimony from Rowaa Ahmar, Drax's former head of public affairs, who alleged that she was sacked after warning the government and regulator Ofgem about the company's supposed sustainability issues. Her witness statement claimed that the BBC's allegations were correct and that Drax had been misleading the public and regulators.
Drax has denied these claims, stating that it had called an emergency meeting to address the fallout from the documentary. The company's chief commercial officer, Paul Sheffield, acknowledged that some executives had raised concerns about the data used to support its sustainability claims.
In a surprising twist, Drax has also faced criticism over its handling of the issue with Ofgem. The energy regulator found that there was an "absence of adequate data governance and controls" in place for tracking the sources of wood used by Drax from Canada between 2021 and 2022. The company agreed to pay £25m in compensation.
As the investigation into Drax's biomass sourcing practices continues, it remains to be seen how the company will respond to these allegations and whether its claims on sustainability can be trusted.
The energy giant has been under fire since a BBC Panorama documentary exposed concerns over its biomass pellet sourcing practices. The company assured ministers and civil servants of its green credentials, but internal memos suggest that senior executives were uncertain about the validity of these claims.
Drax's chief executive, Will Gardiner, publicly denied any wrongdoing, stating that 80% of the material used to make its biomass pellets was sawmill residue. However, court documents reveal that some executives raised concerns about the company's ability to evidence the sustainability of its biomass.
The tribunal hearing heard testimony from Rowaa Ahmar, Drax's former head of public affairs, who alleged that she was sacked after warning the government and regulator Ofgem about the company's supposed sustainability issues. Her witness statement claimed that the BBC's allegations were correct and that Drax had been misleading the public and regulators.
Drax has denied these claims, stating that it had called an emergency meeting to address the fallout from the documentary. The company's chief commercial officer, Paul Sheffield, acknowledged that some executives had raised concerns about the data used to support its sustainability claims.
In a surprising twist, Drax has also faced criticism over its handling of the issue with Ofgem. The energy regulator found that there was an "absence of adequate data governance and controls" in place for tracking the sources of wood used by Drax from Canada between 2021 and 2022. The company agreed to pay £25m in compensation.
As the investigation into Drax's biomass sourcing practices continues, it remains to be seen how the company will respond to these allegations and whether its claims on sustainability can be trusted.
. I mean, they've been caught red-handed denying old-growth forest usage in Canada, but now it seems like some senior execs were having second thoughts about the whole thing. That's a pretty big gap between what's being claimed and what's actually happening.
that's some messed up stuff. I'm thinking the BBC panora documentary did a good job exposing these issues and now it's all coming out in court documents. 
it's also kinda wild that rowaa ahmar got sacked for trying to warn people about drax's supposed issues. 
as for drax's response, we'll just have to wait and see how they play this out. 
They're so committed to making themselves out to be environmentally friendly, but their own people are questioning it all behind the scenes 
And now with Ofgem giving them a slap on the wrist for £25m... I don't think that's gonna be enough to salvage their reputation 
But you have to feel for Rowaa Ahmar, they're like the whistleblower of biomass pellets 
Can't wait to see how this all plays out in the end 
i feel bad for rowaa ahmar tho she got canned after speaking up about the real issues 
and now they're trying to backtrack by saying some execs had doubts but still claiming 80% of their pellets come from sawmill residue lol like who believes that 
is there something we're not being told here?
and now theres proof that they dont even know what theyre talkin bout 
also whats w/ the sacking of rowaa ahmar? did drax really fire her for speakin truth? 
I'm totally not surprised by this news 
. Biomass energy is always a bit of a murky thing when it comes to sustainability. Drax's whole "green" image just seems like a marketing ploy to me 
. I mean, if senior execs are doubting their own claims, that's gotta be a red flag 
.
. It's all about damage control now 
. I'm just waiting to see how much longer they can keep up the act 
.
. Can't Drax just come clean and take responsibility for their mistakes? It's like they're playing a big game of "greenwashing" 
...
. I mean, I get that mistakes happen but this is on another level. Can we please have some more transparency from these companies?
So they're sayin that the big shots at Drax r like "meh" about the whole sustainable thing? 
! Like, who knew that Drax was all like "I'm saving the planet with my sustainable biomass" when really they were just kinda winging it? 
. And poor Rowaa Ahmar, gettin' sacked for tryin' to keep it real 
. This whole thing is like a bad episode of "House of Cards" – except instead of Frank Underwood, it's Will Gardiner causin' all the drama 
!
The thing is, when you're pushing for a green image, you've got to be willing to back it up with some real evidence 
Not just make promises and hope nobody asks questions 
. I'm curious to see how they'll recover from this, though. They can't just pretend like everything's okay when the docs say otherwise 
. I mean, if senior executives at Drax are genuinely unsure about their own sustainability claims, that's a huge red flag 
. I've been following the news, and it seems like the company has been pretty vague about its biomass sourcing practices to begin with.
. But now we're finding out that this was all a bit of a ruse 
. The fact that Drax's former head of public affairs got fired for speaking out about these issues just highlights how tone-deaf the company must have been.
, which is basically a slap on the wrist considering how serious this issue is. I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but it's clear that Drax needs to get its act together and be more transparent about their practices 
. Like, if you're gonna claim to be a green energy company, shouldn't you have solid proof to back it up? 
It's not exactly reassuring to see them dodging questions and denying allegations behind closed doors 
.
.
. But one thing's for sure – I'm not buying what they're selling just yet 
.