Hexham River Hydro is a joint initiative by Hexham Community Partnership and Transition Tynedale aimed at developing a 100 kW community hydro power generation plant on the River Tyne. According to its promoters, the objective of the initiative is not just to generate renewable electricity, but to use the generation facility “as an education and awareness-raising tool” for residents and visitors alike, and to use the income to secure long-term funding for community activities in Hexham and its environs.
Hexham Community Partnership runs a whole range of projects for the benefit of the local community. Even with the help of unpaid volunteers, these cost money. As local authority funding becomes harder to come by, the Partnership is developing new sources of income to fund its activities and allow it to expand the range of services it offers.
“Renewable power generation is an ideal source of such funding, as it can provide reliable long-term income, and also enables us to promote the idea of sustainable development in the locality,” say those behind Hexham River Hydro. But developing a hydro power generator will be expensive – in this case over £500,000. “We can’t borrow all of this from the banks, so start-up grant money will be essential.
Call for external funding
We’ve already commissioned a detailed feasibility study out of our own funds. But the next stages of development – detailed design, obtaining permission from the planning authorities and the Environment Agency, and of course construction itself – won’t happen unless we get external funding.”
The project already counts of local support, with the Hexham Community Partnership and Transition Tynedale representing over a dozen major community groups within the town, with over 350 members. Hexham Town Council have also pledged their full support.
However, the initiators of the project are now calling for you to show your support for Hexham River Hydro “because we can use it as a showcase for raising public awareness of the potential for community renewable energy generation projects”. They go on to say that the project will “benefit the residents of some of the most deprived areas of Hexham”, through the continuation and expansion of activities such as the Hexham East Regeneration Project.
Hexham Community Partnership is a development trust established in 1998 to support the physical, social and economic regeneration of the town. Transition Tynedale is part of the national Transition Towns network and aims to raise awareness of energy issues in the local community.
To show your support for the Hexham River Hydro project, access this website, click on the blue Support This Group button and register, and then encourage friends to do the same.
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