Second of three Yorkshire hydroelectric projects opens

A new hydroelectric power plant, the largest low-head river hydro plant commissioned in England since the start of the century, was opened last month. 

Harnessing the flow of the River Calder, the £5.3mn, 500 kW Kirkthorpe scheme (located four miles east of Wakefield) includes a turbine powerful enough to generate renewable electricity to supply 800 homes. The plant will generate electricity 24/7, twelve months of the year, for the next 100 years. 

The plant was completed on time (a 15 month build), on budget and with 88% of the contracts placed with British companies, many of them local to the area, according to developer Barn Energy. 

In developing Kirkthorpe, the project team worked closely with Wakefield Council, the Environment Agency and the Canal & River Trust to ensure that there were no detrimental impacts. A custom-designed passage and screen has been built to enable salmon, eels and other migratory fish to safely navigate the hydro scheme.

Kirkthorpe is the second river hydro scheme that Barn Energy has built in Yorkshire; the smaller Thrybergh scheme on the River Don near Rotherham, opened in October 2015. A third project, on the River Aire near Knottingley and close to the old Ferrybridge coal-fired power station, is scheduled to enter operation before the end of this year. 

Opening the project, Sir John Armitt, Deputy Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission said: ‘I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to open Kirkthorpe and see another fine example of British engineering. It is particularly welcome to see further investment in the nation’s permanent energy infrastructure as this is a priority for both the government and the National Infrastructure Commission.’

Mark Simon, Chief Executive of Barn Energy said: ‘Kirkthorpe and its two sister projects in Yorkshire are pioneering examples for the government’s much vaunted Northern Powerhouse.’ But Simon added that, without the now ‘almost defunct’ feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme, none of the schemes would have been built. And, given that the FiT scheme was ‘essentially shut down by the new government,’ they will be the last: ‘Despite the huge environmental, sustainability and popularity of low-head hydropower schemes and the local and accessible infrastructure they represent, they are now impossible to commission. Which is a national own goal.’

Hydroelectric schemes represent truly permanent infrastructure, added Simon, and: ‘We must find a way for low-cost state lending to make it happen – we are not asking for grants, just realisation that the market will not, cannot make these work.’