Agency pours cold water on hope of green hydro-power network

HOPES that a network of small hydro-electric power plants on Britain’s rivers could provide a substantial source of “green” energy have been thrown into doubt by an Environment Agency study.

It mapped out the potential sites where small hydro-electricity might be generated on the country’s rivers in a document published today but immediately discounted more than half.

Less than a quarter have been left rated as “promising” by the agency, although some Yorkshire sites are regarded as suitable for future development.

One major problem involves the need to protect fish which use the waterways, because the creation of hydro-generating plants normally involves obstructing the river with a weir to create the abrupt drop which is used to generate power.

Those obstructions block the path of fish, and while salmon and trout may be affected the freshwater eel is in practice a bigger concern because its natural habitat is more widespread.

The Government has a commitment to the European Water Framework Directive, which requires a re-opening of blocked fish migration pathways.

While that creates a difficulty for hydro-power at many locations it may be positive on the River Aire in Yorkshire and some other rivers because they are already obstructed and the installation of hydro-electricity equipment could include the creation of fish “passes”, which the agency describes as a “win-win” situation to satisfy both demands.

The Institute of Fisheries Management, which represents professional fish conservators and angling societies, has also expressed concerns at the effect of intervention in rivers for power generation.

Hydro power is one way in which the Government hopes to move the country away from reliance on fossil fuels.

Guaranteed prices for small-scale electricity generation, published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change only weeks ago, are designed to promote it hard.

A range of Dales organisations, including the national park authority, were already lined up behind the argument that water is a better bet than wind, and have been encouraging renovation of water wheels and installation of new turbines.

Today’s agency report pays token tribute to the potential of rivers to assist the struggle against “global warming” and a summary of its findings says: “The EA found almost 26,000 locations where a hydropower turbine could theoretically generate green electricity.

“In reality, only some of these sites could be exploited, due to environmental sensitivities, as well as practical constraints such as access to the electricity network.

“A sensitively-designed hydropower scheme that includes a fish pass could improve the local environment as well as generate electricity in over 4,000 sites, which could in theory generate 1.5 per cent of the country’s predicted 2020 renewable energy demand. The real potential is significantly less, due to environmental and practical constraints.”

The Institute of Fisheries Management, which includes a lot of agency employees, recently said it would be “madness” to backtrack on the re-opening of rivers for an insignificant contribution to national power needs.

Government promises of up to 20p for every kilowatt hour of electricity would mean a small set-up, producing enough electricity for 32 homes (minus heating) could bring in 25,000 a year for set-up costs ranging from 100,000 to 150,000. But an insistence on fish passes could easily double the investment required.

The Environment Agency has the final say on hydro-power schemes and has been licensing about 10 a year. Now it has 140 applications in the pipeline.