Third river hydro scheme opens in Yorkshire

A new hydroelectric power plant, the largest low-head river hydro plant commissioned in England since the start of the century, has opened in Yorkshire. Harnessing the flow of the River Aire, and located half a mile downriver from the Ferrybridge coal-fired power station, the 500 kW Knottingley scheme will generate renewable electricity for a local flour mill and the local electricity grid. Developed by privately owned renewable energy project company Barn Energy, the £7.5mn plant will generate electricity 24/7, 11–12 months of the year for, according to Barn, the next 100 years.

Construction was completed on time, a 15-month build, on budget and with around 90% of the contracts placed with British companies.

Yorkshire’s ANF Consulting and JNP Group designed the project, whilst Eric Wright Civil Engineering was the main civil engineering contractor. In developing the scheme, Barn Energy worked closely with the Environment Agency and the Canal & River Trust (the scheme abstracts water from the Canal & River Trust’s Aire & Calder Navigation) to ensure that there were no detrimental impacts.

A major part of the project is a custom-designed fish passage and steel screen which will help salmon, eels and other migratory fish to safely navigate the weir for the first time in centuries. Knottingley is the third river hydro scheme that Barn Energy has built in Yorkshire over the past three years. Its Kirkthorpe scheme on the River Calder near Wakefield opened earlier this year, and its Thrybergh scheme, on the River Don near Rotherham, opened in 2015.