London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 05, 2025

Protester climbs on top of train to Drax power station

Protester climbs on top of train to Drax power station

A protester has climbed on top of a train near a power plant in North Yorkshire.

The Axe Drax campaign group said one of its activists "halted the train", which was carrying wood pellets and heading to Drax Power station in Selby.

Images on social media show the activist, dressed in orange, waving a flag bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo. It comes as the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow draws to an end.

Drax said there had been "no impact".

In a video message posted on Twitter, the activist said the biofuel industry was more carbon intensive than coal


Axe Drax said the demonstration was being carried out "to send a clear message to COP26 - stop the fell".

It said no other trains had been affected.

'Halt the felling'


The activist, who goes by the name of Coffee, said: "We need to keep the trees in the ground, we need a U-turn on the decision to phase out deforestation by 2030, we need to slam on the breaks.

"Halt the felling. Bring a moratorium on tree felling for six months whilst a plan is made for a future world economy."

Drax switched from using coal to burning wood pellets instead at its power plant in Selby


A Drax spokesperson said: "Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but trespassing on railway lines puts the safety of train staff, as well as the protesters themselves, at risk."

"Drax Power Station has not been impacted by this action - it continues to generate renewable power for millions of homes and businesses."

The company said the power station had "slashed our emissions from power generation by 90%" since converting from using coal to "sustainable biomass".

It added Drax was "helping the UK's electricity system to decarbonise faster than any other major economy".

But in a tweet, the activist said the biofuel industry was more carbon intensive than coal.


Analysis

By Paul Murphy, BBC Look North environment correspondent

Drax is one of the UK's most controversial power stations and has been on the receiving end of environmental protest and direct action for more than a decade.

Campaigners originally targeted it because of the huge quantities of coal it burned to make electricity. But now protesters are focused on Drax's use of wood pellets to generate power.

Drax calls this fuel "sustainable biomass" and says it's good for the planet because the CO2 produced from burning wood is absorbed by the replenishment of forests where the wood comes from.

But scientists disagree over whether this process works as well as it should.

This direct action against a Drax freight train follows several days of environmental protest against the power station at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Campaigners have called for "a moratorium on tree felling for six months"


In the COP26 climate summit's first major deal, more than 100 world leaders promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, including Brazil where stretches of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down.

Axe Drax said biomass production "harms both people and planet" and linked deforestation to "an increase in flooding, soil degradation, biodiversity and habitat loss, noise and air pollution for local communities".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
×