Drax’s commercial energy supplier Opus Energy is lauding the launch of a 100% renewable electricity tariff.
The tariff – dubbed Opus Advance – has been designed for small SMEs and is to be provided as standard for all new and renewing customers.
The electricity supplied through the tariff will be sourced from UK and European renewable generators, including over 2,300 independent UK-based generators such as farms, schools and community projects with solar and wind, as well as Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.
The power plant is currently a mix of biomass and coal, however in February Drax announced that the remaining two coal units are set to stop operating by March 2021. The company has stated that although they don’t not expect to use coal after then, the units will remain available until September 2022 in line with its existing Capacity Market agreements.
The electricity for Opus’s newly announced tariff will be sourced from the biomass units.
Larger businesses will be able to support local generators and source their electricity exclusively from Opus Energy’s renewable electricity portfolio, it said, which includes hydro, along with wind and solar.
Companies on the tariff will also be provided with free marketing materials to help promote their sustainability credentials.
It follows in the footsteps of a number of suppliers launching 100% renewable tariffs, including ScottishPower – which launched its renewable tariff in February – Centrica’s British Gas and Shell Energy.
Paul Sheffield, managing director of Drax’s customer businesses, said the new tariff will give businesses greater control over their carbon emission and improve sustainability.
“By working with our customers as an energy partner, we are changing the way they source and use their energy, reducing costs and carbon emissions, whilst helping them to grow better businesses,” Sheffield added.
Opus Energy was purchased by Drax in 2016, in a bid to accelerate Drax’s retail strategy. It also owns commercial energy supplier Haven Power.
