ECR Summer 2024 Awayday – Drax and Public Engagement

At the end of July, we held another successful ECR Awayday, combining a trip to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire with public engagement sessions at the University of Sheffield.

Our ECRs had previously told us that they’d like site visits to be included in our programme, and we were very grateful that Gareth Johnson at Drax so kindly and quickly responded to that request.  We spent several hours there being minibused around the whole site, exploring the Boiler House and Turbine Hall, hearing about C-Capture’s research and being immersed in Drax’s future plans in the Igloo.  It was fantastic to not only learn about everything that’s going on there but also see it for ourselves – it really brought to life so many of the things that we read about on a daily basis.

“The sight of the furnace and turbine units provided an understanding of the scale of the operation that I’d never had before.” – Sunera Athauda, Cranfield University

“The site visit was very useful, particularly to my research, and it was informative to learn firsthand Drax’s plan for BECCS. Seeing the pilot plant for the BECCS as well as the graphic model for the proposed project was a major highlight.” – Kofoworola Awodun, Brunel University London

“Visiting Drax was an enlightening experience, providing a deep dive into the realities of large-scale power generation and the significant efforts required to shift towards more sustainable practices. The blend of old and new technologies at Drax symbolizes the ongoing energy transition, reflecting both the challenges and the progress being made.” – He Song, Cranfield University

“Engaging with Drax engineers and operators provided valuable insights into the technology’s current capabilities, scalability and potential future developments. Additionally, it offered an excellent opportunity to reflect on my own research, consider potential challenges and prepare to address them effectively for transitioning from lab to pilot scale.” – Fayez Qureshi, Cranfield University

“I work on BECCS technology but to see a real facility was eye-opening. They showed us how they started, what changes have been made and what they are planning to do.” – Aylin Kemal, Cranfield University

We refuelled in the evening at Cosmos, where ECRs were able to chat and share thoughts from the day over an “all you can eat” international buffet.  The char sui pork was a particular hit, inspiring Billy Davies from Brunel University London to write an impromptu ode to it:

Pork in my belly
Wined and dined, it’s oh so fine
Love you char sui

On the second day, we focused on public engagement, an important part of CCS’s social licence to operate and its wider understanding, as well as an increasingly mandatory aspect of grant awards.

In the first session, three panel members presented different perspectives on public engagement – Jon Gibbins shared about his pre-COP28 public webinar and LinkedIn; Diarmaid Clery spoke about public perception and social license to operate; and Greg Oldfield gave an insight into public engagement opportunities (e.g. Pint of Science UK, Festival of the Mind and Off The Shelf).

After a quick coffee break, we ran a workshop looking at how to tackle some of the pertinent CCS questions that need to be answered clearly and simply for good public engagement.  It can be a challenge for experts to pitch responses at the right level, as they often don’t realise how much they know and how little other people know.  We challenged the ECRs to answer as simply as possible, using minimal jargon and everyday analogies where possible – as though they were answering a family member or friend at the dinner table!

“Public engagement is essential for ensuring that CCS technologies are developed in a way that is socially acceptable, aiming to explain to the public what carbon capture and storage is, how it works and its important in tackling climate change.” – Hassan Chamas, Brunel University London

“The sessions boosted my understanding on how to effectively engage with the public.” – Saheed Bello, University of Cambridge

“Talking about informing public, sharing opinions and discussing possible questions that may arise was good practice, helping train us in how we could answer those kind of questions, and how we should tailor our answers based on the audience.” – Shadi Samizadeh, University of Lincoln

“It was very helpful to hear from the outreach team at Sheffield about what sort of things are available to get involved with, and it was interesting to hear different perspectives about the importance of public engagement in CCS.” – Robyn Mottram, University College London

“The public engagement sessions were insightful and emphasised the critical role of communication in CCS projects. The discussions on engaging with regulators, NGOs and the public were particularly relevant, stressing the need for active listening and two-way communication. The sessions underscored the importance of transparency and inclusivity in addressing climate change. The strategies for public engagement, such as using social media platforms and organising festivals, were practical and actionable, promoting broader community involvement in energy transition initiatives.” – Shervan Babamohammadi, University of Wolverhampton

The Awayday ended with the ECRs letting us know what else they’d like to get from the ECR programme in future – watch this space to see how we action those suggestions!

[Photos credit – and huge gratitude – to Sunera Athauda, Cranfield University!]