The Environment Agency has today (Friday 7th August) stepped up its support for the development and growth of hydropower in England and Wales.
New guidance will make schemes quicker and easier to implement
The Environment Agency has today (Friday 7th August) stepped up its support for the development and growth of hydropower in England and Wales.
Small scale hydropower currently produces enough electricity to power 120,000 homes in the UK, but the Environment Agency recognises that it has significant potential to produce more. Applications for permits to build small scale hydropower schemes have increased dramatically in the last five years, and the Environment Agency is keen to see the swift deployment of this technology to help meet Government’s renewable energy and carbon reduction targets.
The Environment Agency has been urging all public sector organisations to consider using their land and property to generate renewable energy and calculated that they could generate up to three gigawatts of power - and save three million tonnes of CO2 a year - by installing wind turbines and hydropower schemes on their land. New guidance produced by the Environment Agency will give useful advice to help developers comply with environmental legislation first time - to make it quicker and easier for public sector organisations, businesses, developers and homeowners to get approval for a hydropower scheme.
In the past hydropower projects have been sent back to the drawing board because their designs fall short of environmental legislation put in place to protect the local environment and its wildlife. As the organisation tasked with protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales, the Environment Agency must ensure that hydropower schemes do not damage the river environment, increase flood risk or put wildlife at risk. To address the needs of both hydropower developers and the natural environment, the Environment Agency drafted in the Angling Trust, the Association of Rivers Trusts and the British Hydropower Association to help draw up the guidance.
Tony Grayling, Head of Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the Environment Agency, said: "The Environment Agency wants to work with developers to ensure the swift deployment of sustainable renewables - but we must continue to maintain a high level of environmental protection. With this new guidance we hope to show that it is not a matter of striking a compromise between renewable energy and the natural environment. Good hydropower schemes can generate renewable energy and enhance the environment for wildlife."
David Williams Chief Executive of the British Hydropower Association said: "We welcome the launch of the Good Practice Guidelines introduced for clarity of purpose, consistency in approach and to speed up the licensing process for low head hydropower projects. It is the balance between preservation of the environment and the need for more renewable energy which has to be accomplished. We are all part of this process and the new guidelines should help to promote greater efficiency in the licensing process."
Arlin Rickard, Director of the Association of Rivers Trusts said, "We recognise the need for renewable energy and that it should not compromise biodiversity. This will depend on its wise implementation and we will continue to work with the Environment Agency to ensure this. We look forward to this informing planning of where hydropower may safely take place without causing damage or unacceptable environmental impact."
The Hydropower Good Practice Guidance can be downloaded from the Environment Agency website at <http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/water/32022.aspx>
ENDS
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
Role of the Environment Agency:
Hydropower schemes require a number of permits from the Environment Agency, including an abstraction and/or impoundment licence and a land drainage consent. The Environment Agency also has a duty to ensure that schemes are in compliance with environmental regulations such as the Water Framework Directive which states that the freedom of movement of fish, upstream or downstream, is an important component of achieving or maintaining good ecological status, and the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975) under which the EA is required to maintain, improve and develop all freshwater fisheries, and to ensure the free passage of migratory salmon and sea trout.
The good practice guidance for use by developers and Environment Agency staff, describes how these environmental concerns can be taken into account in hydropower schemes.
Ecological impacts of hydropower schemes:
The Environment Agency is required to consider the individual and cumulative impacts of hydropower schemes on fisheries and the ecology of a waterbody. Possible effects include:
· A reduction in the fish population, invertebrates, fauna and plant communities in any river channel or weirpool from which water is diverted.
· A delay or obstruction to the passage of fish, preventing successful migration.
· Death or damage to fish by certain types of turbine, which therefore need appropriate levels of screening positioned to guide fish to a safe route.
What is a sustainable hydropower scheme?
A sustainable hydropower scheme builds environmental protection into the choice of site and design. Key environmental features include:
· A fish-friendly turbine, such as the Archimedes screw, and/or adequate screening of the turbine.
· Safe routes of passage for fish where appropriate.
· Sufficient flow in any depleted reach to maintain the ecology, the fishery, and its amenity value.
CASE STUDY - PICTURES AVAILABLE
Osbaston, Monmouthshire
A small scale hydropower installation on the River Monnow in Osbaston, Monmouthshire, has been cited by the Environment Agency as an example of a sustainable scheme.
The installation, which was built as an investment by a private homeowner, has two fish-friendly Archimedes screws to power the turbine and a separate fish pass, to allow the migration of fish. The installation harnesses around 670,000 KwH electricity per year - or enough to power 152 homes. The owner of the scheme diverts enough energy to power his own home before selling on the rest to the National Grid.
