The huge sums of money greenwashing power plant Drax spends on buffing its image and cosying up to politicians have been revealed, as an executive let slip that the relationship between the company and civil service is a “revolving door”.

A messy employment tribunal between Drax – a supposedly renewable power plant in north Yorkshire which burns trees processed in poor Black communities in the US – and its former head of public affairs and policy, Rowaa Ahmar, has come to an end. Both parties have reached a “mutually agreeable position, without admission of liability”.

Ahmar had argued that Drax sacked her after she blew the whistle on its environmental claims. Drax denied this, saying that there was a “breakdown of trust and confidence” between Ahmar and her colleagues. “All parties are pleased that they can now move on”, a joint statement read.

While the employment tribunal has ended, a deep dive into the participants’ lengthy submissions gives a rare insight into the beleaguered company’s operations – including shedding light on just how much it spends on political lobbying. Here are some key details.

A revolving door.

Perhaps suspicions that the relationship between Drax and the government are too cosy are wide of the mark. Or perhaps not.

Questioned about the hiring process former civil servant Ahmar went through to get her job, Drax’s external affairs director Jonathan Oates said: “We have a number of civil servants, ex-civil servants, working across corporate affairs currently who will do an absolutely fantastic job and are very highly regarded members of the team. We also have people leave the team as well on occasion to go and join the civil service.” Saying the quiet part loud, he added: “So there is a bit of a revolving door, if you like, between the business and the civil service.”

PR millions.

In February, despite years of controversy about its environmental claims, the government decided to continue subsidising Drax – albeit with more restrictions.

Drax relies on government subsidies and constantly has to convince the government that spending billions of pounds on a form of supposedly renewable energy which involves burning trees is a good idea.

This doesn’t come cheap.

In her evidence, Ahmar said that in 2022 she had been given responsibility for a budget which included £1,200,000 per year for 5654 & Company, a lobbying and communications consultancy which says it was “founded to help companies act to earn reputation” and encourages its clients to “shape perceptions and lead”.

Among 5654 & Company’s other clients are Heathrow airport, which will expand with government backing after years of opposition from environmentalists and local communities – effectively wiping out carbon reductions achieved by the government’s plan to decarbonise the electricity grid.

In February, activists from campaign group Axe Drax crashed the offices of 5654 & Company in protest at the government’s decisions to back the expansion of Heathrow and continue Drax’s subsidies, causing the company’s lobbyists to go home for the day.

According to Ahmar, her budget also included £480,000 per year on Robertsbridge, a sustainability consultancy and approximately £500,000 on “other EU agencies”.

Drax also spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on memberships of industry bodies which lobby for the company’s interests.

‘Brazen’ union busting.

As well as its much derided claims about producing green energy, Drax argues that it contributes to the economy and provides thousands of jobs. But what kind of jobs?

In the submission to the tribunal from Ahmar’s Unite the Union rep Chris Rawlinson, he mentioned that in January 2024 he wrote to Drax noting the contradiction between the amount of money the company was willing to spend on on a lawyer to investigate Ahmar’s case “and their refusal to spend around £30,000 to increase the wages of the women working in their canteen by £1 per hour”.

Unite was “considering drawing public attention to Drax’s decision to burn money like it’s old-growth forest to suppress a whistleblower, whilst being miserly when considering the wages of the lowest-paid workers on site,” Rawlinson said.

In response, a Drax executive excluded Rawlinson from the site, but later denied it. “That Drax would be prepared to brazenly engage in union-busting activities and then shamelessly deny it, and that they would be prepared to issue warrantless legal threats to a trade union official, was indicative to me of their complete lack of scruples when dealing with Rowaa’s case”, Rawlinson said.

This is not the first time Drax has faced union-busting allegations. In December 2023, the company sent striking canteen workers threatening messages about their union activities, which Unite called “intimidation tactics”.

Commenting on the conclusion of the employment tribunal, a Drax spokesperson said: “We are pleased that proceedings have come to an end with no finding of liability.

“Drax is committed to being a responsible employer that takes all concerns raised seriously. We have a thorough process to ensure that all colleagues are treated respectfully, and in line with the standards we expect of all parties.

“Allegations concerning Drax’s biomass sourcing were dealt with exhaustively through independent investigations and by the regulator, that found no evidence Drax’s biomass is not sustainable or that Drax has been issued with Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) incorrectly.”