This is why energy security is top General Election priority

The representative survey of over 1,000 local people, run by Focaldata and commissioned by Drax Group, reveals that nearly three quarters (74.3 per cent) of Yorkshire and the Humber voters also want their local MPs to champion making the UK economy net zero in parliament.

Among the voters who want parliamentarians to focus on decarbonisation, there is also strong support for reaching net zero faster than the existing 2050 target with over a third (35.4 per cent) wanting it met by 2030 and 32.7 percent who want to see the UK reach this goal by 2040.

Richard Gwilliam, chair of the Humber Energy Board and UK BECCS Programme Director at Drax Group, said: “Voters in Yorkshire and the Humber recognise that greater energy security, supporting businesses and delivering climate targets go hand in hand.

“This research shows people here want our next MPs to deliver on the decarbonisation of the region and to turbocharge economic growth.

“The Humber is to energy what the City of London is to finance, providing 20 per cent of all of the UK’s electricity generation, one third of all of its refinery products and importing one fifth of all the natural gas we use.“

A high proportion (77.5 per cent) also said that local MPs should support delivering bioenergy with carbon capture and storage at Drax’s Selby site as it is critical to Humber decarbonisation and protecting the region’s industry.

Drax Power Station is preparing to celebrate 50 years of operation.