A UK power station that has been heavily subsidized by the government has failed to disclose its use of wood from primary forests, according to BBC News.
Drax Power Station, which burns wood pellets, must report where it acquires its wood and whether it originates from natural, untouched forests.
After being fined £25m last year for misreporting, the company has reportedly continued misreporting for another year, which has not been addressed by the regulatory body.
Although Drax did not deny the misreporting, it stated that it is "focused on implementing the lessons learned."
The power station, located in North Yorkshire, generates approximately 6% of the UK's electricity and has received substantial government subsidies for using wood-burning as a form of renewable energy.
Despite claiming not to own forests or sawmills anymore, Drax has been found to still source whole trees from primary forests, which lock up significant amounts of carbon and provide crucial wildlife habitats.
While the company claims it has stopped sourcing wood from certain sites in response to government requests, public records reveal ongoing sourcing from primary forests.
Drax reportedly failed to disclose its use of wood from primary forests in Canada to the regulator for the year 2020-21, despite burning over 1.2 million tonnes of wood pellets from these areas.
Although the company has since reduced its reliance on Canadian wood, it asserts that its pellets meet strict sustainability criteria set by various governments.
The current UK biomass sustainability criteria do not explicitly prohibit the use of whole trees from primary forests for wood pellets.
Regarding the misreporting issue, Drax stated that it was of a "technical nature" and did not impact the subsidies earned.
The regulator Ofgem mentioned its commitment to address any further misconduct by Drax but did not confirm specific actions in response to the additional misreporting identified by the BBC.
Drax's renewable subsidies are set to expire in 2027, and the government is considering adjustments to the biomass sustainability criteria, with a potential extension of Drax's subsidies pending.
In response to the situation, a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero acknowledged the need for further audits to prevent future misreporting.