Disclaimer: The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters. To work with Reuters Plus, contact us here.
The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters.
Produced by Reuters Plus for
Laurie Fitzmaurice
President, Elimini
Fast-forward to New York Climate Week this year where Drax launched its new business, Elimini, which is focused on actively removing carbon for good.
Building on its experience, it plans to deploy this technology around the world to help reduce the impacts of climate change and provide reliable, renewable energy. As industries face the challenge of reducing emissions, the need for innovative solutions becomes crucial.
Elimini is a carbon removals company focused on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) which is unique in the way that it generates 24/7 renewable electricity while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In almost any hard-to-abate sector — from electricity generation to aviation, steelmaking to cement — BECCS has the potential to turn carbon emitters into carbon removers.
Reuters Plus sat down with Laurie Fitzmaurice, who joined this year as Elimini's president. She is charged with deploying and scaling BECCS in the United States – and beyond.
For more on BECCS, visit elimini.com
We are at a tipping point. We are at the point where we are moving into scale thanks in part to mechanisms like the IRA, the Danish Climate Program incentives, and the commitments by the UK government in its Biomass Strategy. On top of that we now see carbon removal buyers emerging who are willing to partner with responsible, solidly funded and technically capable developers – and we believe Elimini is one of those developers – to facilitate the creation of a viable voluntary carbon market.
We are focused on the technologies we know best because that is where we think we can make the biggest impact. Drax has a long history with bioenergy, and this is the right time to leverage that experience in the US.
It sounds like you are off to a running start in your first six months with Elimini. What are you most excited about as you look ahead?
A robust dialogue is key, particularly when it comes to newer or less familiar technologies. But for starters, the research is aligned on the fact that limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C can’t be achieved solely by avoiding emissions. We need carbon removals to get us there; specifically, the latest research estimates that we need between 5 and 16Gt of removals. So, carbon removal technologies are not an excuse to dodge the hard work of avoiding emissions, they are a necessary additional step for meeting climate goals – it’s “and” not “or”, and I think that any credible company in the carbon removals space would acknowledge that. BECCS is not sufficient, but we do believe it is necessary. When it comes to measuring decarbonization impact, particularly in the nature-based solutions space, some schemes are more credible than others. But there is a right way to do this, and I think the industry has learned a lot in the last 15+ years about disclosure, monitoring, and accounting for scope one, two and three emissions. For BECCS projects specifically, the sustainability of the biomass supply chain is incredibly important, and one area where we feel that Elimini sets itself apart. We found that there really wasn’t any established methodology for assessing the sustainability of the biomass supply chain for a greenfield BECCS project, so, in conjunction with Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi, we developed one. It addresses the most salient questions of permanence, integrity, and the sustainability of the biomass supply chain, and ensures that biomass is fully traceable and does not come from primary forests.
Criticisms of BECCS suggest that carbon removal technologies effectively let emitters “off the hook” on emissions abatement, or that the full lifecycle emissions impacts of technologies like BECCS are hard to quantify. These critiques are not unique to BECCS, but what do you wish skeptics knew about your work?
One of the things that I think is so compelling about the Inflation Reduction Act is the focus on ‘place based’ development.
I have been involved with the development of energy infrastructure throughout my career, and I think that right now we are seeing an important mental shift: social and economic development are very much integrated into the process of siting and developing new energy assets from the very start – not as an afterthought – and seeing that echoed in the legislation is very exciting.
For Elimini and our US expansion, that means focusing on counties that are highlighted by the IRA as areas of particular interest, primarily in the Southeast because that is where a large number of working forests are most active. We have community engagement experts as part of our US team and are in the process, for example, of developing a small landowner engagement and assistance program in areas that are geographically and economically vulnerable. Many small landowners have been hard hit by the slowdown in the pulp and paper industry and engaging them in BECCS opportunities is a great fit.
Engagement at the state level, in addition to at the federal level, is also important. We are creating high quality technical jobs, and community colleges are an incredible resource. We are thinking about how to engage community colleges to develop and support a skilled workforce.
Financial incentives from government are helpful of course but partnering with communities in creative ways – for economic development, skills development – these are long term investments for us.
Let’s talk more about how regulatory markets and policy regimes – including the Inflation Reduction Act – have helped you identify opportunities for Elimini. The IRA was in many ways an energy and climate bill, but really it was meant to stimulate the economy by creating employment opportunities and lifting up local communities. How do you think about public/private partnership, and community partnership?
Yes, we are very proud of our long history in the UK and the expertise we developed there, including the work we did to convert the Drax Power Station from coal to biomass and the power generation portfolio we developed with pumped storage hydropower from Scotland. More recently, our CEO, Will Gardiner, began to think beyond those assets and about how to apply the company’s expertise to the challenges of decarbonization more broadly.
As an organization, Elimini will operate as an independent company within the Drax Group focused on carbon removals, with BECCS as a key part of that effort. We are really taking a more global view now, but the US is a main focus, especially since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.
Drax was historically a UK company. Now, you are focusing more broadly. What is that vision?
Absolutely – these are important challenges. There is no doubt that wind and solar are a critical part of electrifying our economy. But these are intermittent power sources. Battery technology is improving but today’s technology only goes so far in terms of storing electricity. Certain industries require reliable, uninterrupted power supply – they need a back-up generation source, and historically that back-up generation has come from natural gas. But BECCS is a 24/7 form of renewable energy. Unlike solar and wind, it is a stable baseload generation fuel. With BECCS, the main issue is properly managing fuel supply logistics, and that is where Drax, Elimini’s founding company and decarbonization partner, brings to the table many years of experience in contracting for a steady supply of woody biomass feedstock. We also think carefully about opportunities to co-locate hard-to-abate industries with wood yards and lumber operations. The idea of a 24/7 renewable source of electricity is a powerful one because we need to electrify the economy – including hard-to-abate industries – in a way that is compatible with decarbonization.
There are two big challenges we hear about over and over when we talk about decarbonization: one is how to deal with the so-called “hard-to-abate” industries, and another is how to maintain a reliable power supply as intermittent renewable generation sources, like solar and wind, make up a growing part of the energy mix. How do you see BECCS mitigating these challenges?
Nearly all realistic pathways to limit global warming to 1.5°C require developing and deploying carbon removal technologies and tripling renewable energy capacity - BECCS is the only technology that can support the delivery of both targets simultaneously.
We believe that BECCS is a critical piece of the decarbonization puzzle, but it really is not widely known or understood, so we appreciate this opportunity to explain why we see so much potential in this technology.
Properly done, power generation from sustainable biomass can be very low carbon, but by also capturing and storing the emissions from biomass combustion, it has the potential to be carbon negative. This is the promise of BECCS. Emissions from a biomass power plant are captured and the carbon dioxide in that stream is extracted through a chemical process and then injected into an underground formation where it is stored and monitored on a long-term and permanent basis.
In our case, biomass comes from wood from working forests. So, if you think about forestry as a crop, forests in the south east of the United States, for example, supply wood for things like building materials or furniture. As part of the process of growing and processing that wood, forests are periodically thinned to maintain the health of the forest. Sawmills exist to produce lumber, but also have residual material like sawdust, woodchips, shavings and so on - and these sawmill residuals, and thinnings and low grade roundwood can be used as feedstock for bioenergy plants. BECCS goes a step further and takes the CO2 released during combustion and removes it from the emissions stream and injects it permanently underground.
Laurie, tell us, in your own words, how BECCS contributes to a net zero vision generally, and what it looks like in the context of your business specifically?
From coal generation stalwart to decarbonization innovator
Beginning in the middle of the last century, Drax Power Station generated electricity from coal for the UK but was an early innovator in transitioning from coal to sustainable biomass. The next step is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“BECCS goes a step further and takes the CO2 released during combustion and removes it from the emissions stream and injects it permanently underground.”
Laurie Fitzmaurice President, Elimini
“Battery technology is improving but today’s technology only goes so far in terms of storing electricity. Certain industries require reliable, uninterrupted power supply.”
Laurie Fitzmaurice President, Elimini
“Social and economic development are very much integrated into the process of siting and developing new energy assets from the very start – not as an afterthought.”
Laurie Fitzmaurice President, Elimini
“The industry has learned a lot in the last 15+ years about disclosure, monitoring, and accounting for scope one, two and three emissions.”
Laurie Fitzmaurice President, Elimini
Beginning in the middle of the last century, Drax Power Station generated electricity from coal for the UK but was an early innovator in transitioning from coal to sustainable biomass. The next step is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
From coal generation stalwart to decarbonization innovator
The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content.
It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters.
Produced by Reuters Plus for
Fast-forward to New York Climate Week this year where Drax launched its new business, Elimini, which is focused on actively removing carbon for good.
Building on its experience, it plans to deploy this technology around the world to help reduce the impacts of climate change and provide reliable, renewable energy. As industries face the challenge of reducing emissions, the need for innovative solutions becomes crucial.
Elimini is a carbon removals company focused on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) which is unique in the way that it generates 24/7 renewable electricity while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In almost any hard-to-abate sector — from electricity generation to aviation, steelmaking to cement — BECCS has the potential to turn carbon emitters into carbon removers.
Reuters Plus sat down with Laurie Fitzmaurice, who joined this year as Elimini's president. She is charged with deploying and scaling BECCS in the United States – and beyond.
Nearly all realistic pathways to limit global warming to 1.5°C require developing and deploying carbon removal technologies and tripling renewable energy capacity - BECCS is the only technology that can support the delivery of both targets simultaneously.
We believe that BECCS is a critical piece of the decarbonization puzzle, but it really is not widely known or understood, so we appreciate this opportunity to explain why we see so much potential in this technology.
Properly done, power generation from sustainable biomass can be very low carbon, but by also capturing and storing the emissions from biomass combustion, it has the potential to be carbon negative. This is the promise of BECCS. Emissions from a biomass power plant are captured and the carbon dioxide in that stream is extracted through a chemical process and then injected into an underground formation where it is stored and monitored on a long-term and permanent basis.
In our case, biomass comes from wood from working forests. So, if you think about forestry as a crop, forests in the south east of the United States, for example, supply wood for things like building materials or furniture. As part of the process of growing and processing that wood, forests are periodically thinned to maintain the health of the forest. Sawmills exist to produce lumber, but also have residual material like sawdust, woodchips, shavings and so on - and these sawmill residuals, and thinnings and low grade roundwood can be used as feedstock for bioenergy plants. BECCS goes a step further and takes the CO2 released during combustion and removes it from the emissions stream and injects it permanently underground.
But BECCS is a 24/7 form of renewable energy. Unlike solar and wind, it is a stable baseload generation fuel. With BECCS, the main issue is properly managing fuel supply logistics, and that is where Drax, Elimini’s founding company and decarbonization partner, brings to the table many years of experience in contracting for a steady supply of woody biomass feedstock. We also think carefully about opportunities to co-locate hard-to-abate industries with wood yards and lumber operations. The idea of a 24/7 renewable source of electricity is a powerful one because we need to electrify the economy – including hard-to-abate industries – in a way that is compatible with decarbonization.
One of the things that I think is so compelling about the Inflation Reduction Act is the focus on ‘place based’ development.
I have been involved with the development of energy infrastructure throughout my career, and I think that right now we are seeing an important mental shift: social and economic development are very much integrated into the process of siting and developing new energy assets from the very start – not as an afterthought – and seeing that echoed in the legislation is very exciting.
For Elimini and our US expansion, that means focusing on counties that are highlighted by the IRA as areas of particular interest, primarily in the Southeast because that is where a large number of working forests are most active. We have community engagement experts as part of our US team and are in the process, for example, of developing a small landowner engagement and assistance program in areas that are geographically and economically vulnerable. Many small landowners have been hard hit by the slowdown in the pulp and paper industry and engaging them in BECCS opportunities is a great fit.
Engagement at the state level, in addition to at the federal level, is also important. We are creating high quality technical jobs, and community colleges are an incredible resource. We are thinking about how to engage community colleges to develop and support a skilled workforce.
Financial incentives from government are helpful of course but partnering with communities in creative ways – for economic development, skills development – these are long term investments for us.
A robust dialogue is key, particularly when it comes to newer or less familiar technologies. But for starters, the research is aligned on the fact that limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C can’t be achieved solely by avoiding emissions. We need carbon removals to get us there; specifically, the latest research estimates that we need between 5 and 16Gt of removals. So, carbon removal technologies are not an excuse to dodge the hard work of avoiding emissions, they are a necessary additional step for meeting climate goals – it’s “and” not “or”, and I think that any credible company in the carbon removals space would acknowledge that. BECCS is not sufficient, but we do believe it is necessary. When it comes to measuring decarbonization impact, particularly in the nature-based solutions space, some schemes are more credible than others. But there is a right way to do this, and I think the industry has learned a lot in the last 15+ years about disclosure, monitoring, and accounting for scope one, two and three emissions. For BECCS projects specifically, the sustainability of the biomass supply chain is incredibly important, and one area where we feel that Elimini sets itself apart. We found that there really wasn’t any established methodology for assessing the sustainability of the biomass supply chain for a greenfield BECCS project, so, in conjunction with Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi, we developed one. It addresses the most salient questions of permanence, integrity, and the sustainability of the biomass supply chain, and ensures that biomass is fully traceable and does not come from primary forests.
Disclaimer: The Reuters news staff had no role in the production of this content. It was created by Reuters Plus, the brand marketing studio of Reuters. To work with Reuters Plus, contact us here.