Drax coal-fired power station, near Selby, North Yorkshire, UK. This view, from the south-west, looks north-east towards the main chimney (red, centre). At 259 metres, this is one of the tallest structures in the UK. As of 2006, Drax is the largest, cleanest and most efficient of the UK's coal-fired power stations. It can burn 36,000 tones of coal a day to produce 4,000 megawatts of power, around 7% of the UK's electricity needs. It was built from 1974-1986.