British energy giant Drax Global, already under scrutiny for running afoul of environmental laws in multiple states, has disclosed to the state of Louisiana that its wood pellet production facilities emit hazardous air pollutants above their permitted limits.
Drax is a key provider for British utilities and one of the renewable energy industry’s largest players, earning $1.53 billion in profits last year. It operates seven wood pellet production facilities across four states and paid out $2.5 million in fines for violating air emissions limits in Mississippi in 2020 and $3.2 million pollution-related settlements in Louisiana in 2022.
Since 2015, the company has operated a wood pellet storage and loading facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, from which it stores and exports biomass wood pellets to the United Kingdom.
Following pressure from lawsuits brought by environmental advocacy groups, the company agreed to install pollution controls in 2021 in its three production facilities across Mississippi and Louisiana.
But it appears that the new controls did not bring the company within its permitted limits for more dangerous chemicals known as hazardous air pollutants at its Louisiana plants. The company conducted testing in August 2023 and about six months later informed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality that both facilities should be considered a “major source” of hazardous air pollutant emissions.
The tests revealed that Morehouse BioEnergy LLC and LaSalle BioEnergy LLC emitted high rates of probable carcinogens acetaldehyde and formaldehyde and a total of more than 38 tons per year of toxic or hazardous air pollutants emitted from each site, company documents said. The current permitted limit for each facility is 10 tons for a single pollutant or 25 tons for a combination of hazardous air pollutants.
Michelli Martin, a spokesperson for the company, said in an emailed statement that Drax chose to test the Louisiana facilities based on new industry data, and was intended to “ensure full transparency” with authorities and “make necessary updates in 2024.” Drax said it was applying to update its permit to allow for the higher amounts of emissions.
