Black & Veatch appointed to Drax Technical Services Framework

Major UK power provider Drax has awarded Black & Veatch a role on the company’s Technical Services Framework.

Drax’s existing biomass and hydro renewable power generation assets provide power for the equivalent of more than 5.1 million homes. In addition to supporting these assets Black & Veatch’s role encompasses new-build and enhancement capital projects as well as - looking to the NetZero future - research into new and emerging technologies, such as bioenergy carbon capture and storage. The nature and delivery of Black & Veatch’s work will help realise Drax’s ambition to become carbon negative by 2030.

“Being appointed to the framework is a major statement that further highlights Black & Veatch’s full capabilities in the power infrastructure space,” commented Paul Harmer, Black & Veatch’s head of conventional generation, UK.

The framework will be over an initial three-year period, providing Drax with additional engineering  resource supporting its efforts to manage the intermittent profile of renewable generation of the wider grid, and boost security of supply. Black & Veatch will provide the company with:

• Additional operational and commercial performance through technical capability and capacity
• Engineering and technical support to augment internal team resources
• Support programme management and project delivery, from product development through to decommissioning

“To provide Drax with strength in depth we will be using not just our UK power professionals, but expertise from across our global power business. For the last six years Black & Veatch has ranked second in Power, in the USA’s influential ENR Top 500 Design Firms report. This gives a sense of the world-class talent Drax will be able to draw upon,” Harmer added.

The Drax win comes at a significant time for Black & Veatch’s global power business with the recent announcement that the company will cease participation in any new coal-based power design and construction.