.png)
4 hours ago
5
The owner of the Drax power plant has abandoned its annual shareholder meeting after a confrontation with activists who staged a protest against burning trees to generate electricity.
The Guardian understands that between 10 and 20 activists were forcibly removed from the London venue after challenging the board of the FTSE 250 energy company on its use of woody biomass at its North Yorkshire power plant.
The demonstration included groups that claim Drax has contributed to air pollution in low-income Black communities in the US where it operates biomass pellet production facilities.
Drax has come under fierce criticism from green groups for claiming billions in renewable energy subsidies to generate electricity by burning woody pellets. The company claims the wood is sustainably sourced but was asked to pay £25m to the energy regulator last year after it found that Drax submitted inaccurate data on the sourcing of its pellets.
The board called an end to the meeting at about 11.30am on Thursday, before many of the shareholders were able to question the board, blaming the “threatening behaviour” of activists.
Two shareholders in attendance disputed the company’s claim that activists “aggressively disrupted” the meeting on several occasions, and claimed the crackdown on the “non-violent” protest was designed to silence dissent.
“We came a very long way to attend this meeting today and unfortunately we were not allowed to speak,” said Krystal Martin, an environmental activist who joined the meeting from Gloster, Mississippi in the US.
Martin said she missed the start of the meeting after security staff barred her from entering the venue for carrying a laptop, and the meeting was closed before she could raise her concerns with the board.
“It was an intentional and deliberate attempt to silence our voice. I know I stand out – I’m a Black girl from Mississippi – so it felt like their actions were deliberate,” she said.
Katherine Hegland, another green campaigner who travelled from Mississippi for the meeting, said she felt “humiliated and frustrated” after being “treated like a terrorist” when trying to enter the meeting. She claimed she was initially barred from entry for carrying an iPad before entering the meeting after the shareholder vote had concluded.
“It was a non-violent protest,” Hegland said. “There was no reason to close the meeting. There was no way that anyone could feel that they were not safe.”
A Drax spokesperson said the meeting was closed after the formal business of the meeting and resolutions were passed and “several people” had the opportunity to put questions to the board.
“Unfortunately, activists aggressively disrupted the Q+A on multiple occasions. As a result of this threatening behaviour, and to protect the safety of our shareholders and staff, our chair made the decision to conclude the meeting early,” the spokesperson said.
