Halton Lune Hydro The biggest community hydro in England
AGM 26 April 2024
The 2024 AGM will take place on Friday 26th April at 7.30 pm at the Centre at Halton, upstairs, Rooms 1 & 2, please join us!
Project Manager update Parish Prattle – September 2023
The Hydro has operated steadily since my last report that mentioned very little electricity having been generated during June and the first week of July, owing to the dry weather, although revenue has picked up very well since, given the higher electricity prices, and we expect in the order of £340,000 turnover by 31st December. This may sound a lot, but there are shareholders to repay from now to the year 2034 and associated interest payments, plus other costs under maintenance and environmental compliance headings.
Having said this, there will be further donations to the Halton Lune Trust, so that it may continue to provide grants within the Parish and surrounding areas, under headings of:-
· Improving and enhancing recreational opportunities and sporting activities.
· Supporting energy associated measures delivering energy efficiency and carbon reducing technologies.
· Promotion of conservation and enhancement of the natural environment for the benefit of the Community.
· Promotion of conservation, protection and improvement of land, buildings, other structures and artefacts of particular historic, architectural, archaeological or cultural significance.
A further aspect is that we have hosted far more educational visits this year with an interesting range of in-depth questions, so given we can find sufficient volunteer time it’s a welcome trend.
John Blowes CEng MBE – Chairman
Project Manager update Parish Prattle – April 2023
I am pleased to report that 2022 was a good year for the Hydro, in that turbine blade inspections on drain down indicated very little wear on blade pitch control linkages, so no major overhauls on the horizon just yet, and whilst electricity price increases are not good for consumers, electricity generation income increased dramatically in December and remains high today. This means that the proceeds going to the Halton Lune Trust will increase next year, resulting in more funds being available for worthy local causes. Aside from this financial side, there is still plenty of river stone for garden use available, so just a matter of contacting me or the secretary to gain access through the normally locked gates.
The subject revenue does however depend on operating for as long as possible in a 24hr period, and thanks here to our volunteer Duty Officers, who enjoy a walk and call in to record some figures for a given day – and get assistance if necessary, to remove the occasional tree branch and general debris, including plastic, from the launder channel. We need more Duty Officers, so if interested, you will be most welcome and training will be given. Just a matter of contacting our Secretary Brian Jefferson: Secretary@haltonlunehydro.org
Moving on now to our environmental responsibilities for salmon and sea trout. Automatic counting is being recorded all the time and whilst there was an improvement last year, numbers are significantly down. e.g. 1,936 total fish up during 2022 compared to 3,957 in 2017. (Month by month and year by year numbers incidentally, are available on our website).
With fish well-being in mind, the Environment Agency halted fish trapping in July 2021 and this has not been reinstated. We believe that river pollution has some responsibility for reduced numbers, especially as we had the blue green algae floating on top of the water during July 22. Warnings therefore for this coming summer about swimming when algae is spotted anywhere in our local stretch of the river.
There will be a little more to report, with a few photos on screen at the AGM 7pm Friday 21st April 2023 at the Halton Community Centre.
John Blowes MBE CEng
Chair – Halton Lune Hydro Ltd
John.blowes@haltonlunehydro.org
Project Manager update Parish Prattle – Sept 2022
A rather short early September report, as it has been very quiet, given 3 months now with insufficient rain for substantial renewable electricity generation, and am sure the gardens could do with a little watering. The sunshine has however been welcome and no doubt solar panels on rooftops have compensated for our reduced contribution.
The under-track repair also had the advantage of the low river and is complete to include adding a firm bottom step to assist getting to and from the beach.
It’s also been good to see so many walkers passing by the Hydro, many from some distance away and pleased to be shown around.
Project Manager update Parish Prattle – Feb 2022
2021 was certainly a bumpy year, given just a few unusual circumstances, so, all set now for a more settled 2022.
The “unusual circumstances” I refer to were not only Covid related, but June to September was reported to be the driest period for 130 years, which meant very little power generation, given the fish passes must have priority over water available. The first of the heavy rain and winds then caused leaves to fall as one would expect, and the usual reduced output due to frequent blocking and clearing the turbine inlet screens for about four weeks, so not the most profitable year.
Donations to the Halton Lune Trust do however remain a priority and photographs of worthy projects having benefited, may be seen on the LCD screen on the side of the hydro building, should you be passing that way.
It’s actually been good for the hydro team to meet so many walkers, and dogs, whilst doing the daily checks and maintenance, which has involved removing more trees from the inlet than normal, due to abnormally high winds produced by storm Arwen in November – and we still have several tonnes of rather fine stone delivered from upstream in the last big flood. The Halton Gardening Group have actually used a significant number to fill gabions for an impressive corner feature in the War Memorial garden. By all means email us should you also have a use for some: secretary@haltonlunehydro.org. No charge, given it’s a community project.
Turning back to the hydro team; training is available should you wish to become a “Duty Officer”, leading to taking some readings and checking that all is well for a given day – or join the fish trapping team when we start again in the spring. This being for fish health checks and taking scale samples, which can lead to knowing from where the fish originated via DNA.
All this in an area of natural beauty working mostly outside, so do come and join us!
Project Manager update Parish Prattle – Nov 2020
The year has continued to be eventful since our July report on storms Ciara and Dennis in February and no turbine running during the long summer dry spell, with rocky outcrop sunbathing and swimming, as well as walkers taking advantage of the numerous countryside footpaths.
Autumn has introduced the usual blocking of turbine inlet screens by leaves, compensated by amazing riverside views, and whilst revenue is down compared to a very smooth 2019, we had no real complaints – until heavy prolonged rain brought a tidal wave of water from the various catchments overnight early November and more boulders into the hydro inlet. This will require a second drain down of the year with outside working and Covid precautions, so definitely a complaint against the law of probability.
As mentioned in July, it’s the expertise, enthusiasm and good sense of humour of the Hydro team that keep it all ticking over, with results of producing “green” electricity, in addition to funds going to the Halton Lune Trust at the end of December each year for worthy community causes.
AGM 18th September 2020
The 2020 AGM planned for 24th April has been postponed to 18th September to offset the impact of present movement and isolation imposed by the Covid 19 emergency. Shareholders will be advised by email once the accounts have been returned and can be circulated.
Please read the AGM 2020 Revised Notice, Revised Chairman‘s Report and 2019 AGM minutes.
Project Manager’s Update, September 2019
I am pleased to report that all is well, with an excellent team of Duty Officers, one of which calls in at the Hydro each day. Should you be interested in walking in an area of natural beauty and joining our team, then please let us know. Read More
Bank Details
We no longer make payments by cheque, so we do need bank details for every shareholder. Please contact secretary@haltonlunehydro.org with this information.
Both Turbines now back in action
The fish pass was brought back into operation on 23rd January after removing an enormous amount of stone, and we have managed, with welcome assistance from the turbine maker Hydrohrom, to start producing green electricity on Wednesday 4th February, just two months after the floods. Read More
We’re making good progress with flood repairs
We’re making good progress on site with flood recovery and we plan to open the footpath via the wooden steps quite soon and restart the turbines during the first week in February.
We have had an excavator on site for the past two weeks, transferring tonnes of stone from the outfall, fish trap and the fish screen bay to the areas on land “excavated” by flood water. You can see a video here
As can be seen from the photograph, a significant area of low-lying land upstream has been washed away. It was mostly rounded glacial moraine typical of the area. It was rocks from here that were deposited in the Hydro by the flood.
Our Official Opening on 18th September 2015
Halton Lune Hydro, official opening.
With two turbines and a very presentable building that’s a credit to our local stonemason, it was time for an official opening, to celebrate our achievement in building the biggest community owned hydro in England.
Adrian Ramsey, the Chief Executive of the Centre for Alternative Technology unveiled the plaque and pressed the button. He was joined by the Mayor of Lancaster and 90+ guests in celebrating our success.
All members were invited, as well as representatives of the Environment Agency, Defra, United Utilities and all of the other people and other organisations that helped us get this far. You can read all about it in a Special Edition Newsletter here.
We’ve installed and commissioned the second turbine
Steel plates were installed at the inlet and outlet of the hydro, to allow drain-down for installation of the second turbine and to undertake routine maintenance. The turbine supplier, Hydrohrom from the Czech Republic, sent over teams of electrical and mechanical engineers and the turbine was installed and commissioned over ten days with impressive skill and efficiency. It is now fully operational, although it will only start operating to capacity when there is sufficient river flow – so there is an upside when we get a downpour!
Second Share Offer closed
We have now raised £380,000 for the second turbine and have closed the share offer. Apologies to everyone who was disappointed and many thanks to members for their extraordinary support.
Our first AGM
This was held on 19th March at 7.30pm. You can read about it here.
Our fish pass and screen cleaners
Our start of the art Larrinier fish pass is now fully operational. The turbulence created by baffles and the velocity of water leaving the pass, attracts fish from mid stream. The screen cleaners, operating as wiper blades on the hydro inlet rake debris into the launder channel that has water flowing down it, through a mesh, and back to the river.Read more
We’re now Grid Connected!
On the 21st December we were visited by Electricity North West, who approved our hydro for connection to the Grid. This is a cause for celebration, and the culmination of many years of hard work from those involved. We’ve still got a few bits and pieces to sort out before we can generate at full power, but this means that we will now be able to register the second turbine for the Feed in Tariff in December 2015 before the rate drops at the end of the year.
Turbine arrives and share offer launched!
Lots of excitement today (back in November) as the turbine, generator, screen cleaners and lots more arrived from the Czech Republic, along with several members of Hydrohrom staff who will spend the next two weeks installing it all, ready for the big switch on, on December 12th. View some photos of the past few days here.
We have now finalised the Prospectus for the share offer for the second turbine. It is available to download here. We have been warned by our friends at Community Energy England that the Chancellor is considering abolishing Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax relief for community energy projects in his Autumn Statement on December 3rd. Potential investors are encouraged to make payment by BACS and email a copy of their application form for us to submit to the Tax office by December 1st. See the Application for for our bank account details.
Watch the turbine being unloaded:
Listen to our Director and Project Manager, John Blowes talking about the hydro:
760 years of hydro power on the River Lune at Halton
Halton has been the site of industry powered by the River Lune since at least 1252, when the lord of the manor of Halton was recorded as owning ‘two water corn mills worth forty shillings yearly’. There is also record in the same year of there being a water powered fulling mill (the earliest mills used for the production of textiles). This grew over the centuries to six water wheels at Forge Weir in 1752 to a maximum of these six wheels and four additional turbines in 1870.
During the Industrial Revolution a series of mills for cotton, silk and oil cloth were built extending from Forge Weir to the lower weir, opposite Halton Railway station. At some point in the early 20th century there was a turbine generating electricity on Forge Weir, with a ‘battery house’ (now known as ‘the Forge’ ) storing electricity for times when the water flow was too low. Water power continued to be employed until 1960, when the mills ceased operation.
Current hydro plans
The latest plan for a community owned hydro scheme on Forge Weir was proposed in 2008 (see background). Supported by a number of agencies including Lancaster City Council, The Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Halton Lune Hydro is on the verge of receiving all the final permissions required to start construction. It’s been a very long journey, and construction was supposed to have started earlier this year, but has been held up due to intense scrutiny of fish and eel pass arrangements by the Environment Agency and by disputes over land ownership around the weir. Both of these problems are in the final stages of being sorted out, and the extraction licence and the lease are expected to be completed by early September.
Community ownership and benefit
Construction will be financed by a mix of ‘community shares’ and bank finance, with all of the environmental work funded by a grant from the EU administered by Defra. The ‘community share’ issue should be launched in late September, and will be available for anyone to invest between £250 and £20,000 and become a member of Halton Lune Hydro Ltd. which is currently being reregistered as a ‘Society for the Benefit of the Community’ (IPS). A number of community hydro schemes have already been built or are under construction, including Torrs Hydro in Yorkshire and Stockport Hydro, with nearly all having a similar structure.
The electricity generated will be used first by Lancaster Cohousing, who now own the last remaining mill at Halton, and have also built 41 dwellings built to the highest energy saving standards, and heated by a biomass district heating system. The surplus will be exported to the grid, and will be enough to power up to 300 homes.
All of the profits from the hydro scheme will be used for the benefit of the community in and around the Parish of Halton with Aughton.