Drax employee sacked after accusing renewable energy company of greenwashing
A Drax employee was sacked after raising concerns about the greenwashing of the wood-burning firm's environmental credentials, a tribunal has heard.
The renewable energy company has received billions in taxpayer subsidies to support the burning of wood pellets at the UK's biggest power plant, in north Yorkshire.
Rowaa Ahmar was employed by the company in 2022, when BBC Panorama released a documentary which alleged the company used wood from healthy forests in Canada instead of waste wood.
Ms Ahmar claims she was dismissed after raising concerns with senior figures that Drax covered up its use of unsustainable wood.
An employment tribunal in London was told that Drax commissioned a fact-finding investigation, carried out by consultants KPMG, into the sustainability of its wood following the Panorama programme.
The tribunal heard that Ms Ahmar was told not to pass on to senior managers the interim findings of a report which her lawyers claim found the company did use unsustainable wood and had misreported data to the regulator Ofgem.
However, she later raised concerns with Brett Gladden, the Drax company secretary. She also raised concerns with senior managers on several occasions, the tribunal was told, including claims of an internal cover-up of the use of unsustainable wood.
She also accused Drax of inaccuracies in its communications with the Government, Ofgem and the public.
Ms Ahmar was eventually dismissed on Jan 17 2024 after she was placed on a prolonged 'special leave' on full pay.
'Total' breakdown in working relationships
Lawyers for Drax claim that during Ms Ahmar's time at the company, there was 'a total, fundamental and intractable breakdown in working relationships' with numerous colleagues.
The tribunal was told this 'pre-dated, and was entirely unrelated to' any of the disclosures Ms Ahmar later made.
The case is expected to continue for a further 20 days.
Last month, Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, signed off hundreds of millions of pounds in further subsidies to Drax, despite controversy over the environmental impact of burning wood.
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