Community Hydro Scheme in North West Wales

Datrys has been commissioned to provide the civil engineering design of a local community hydro-electric generating plant. Hydro Ogwen is a cooperative venture to harness the power of the Ogwen River in Gwynedd.

Datrys is designing the Intake Wier and Powerhouse of the plant, a low drop 100 kW scheme located approximately 0.4 miles south of Bethesda on the Afon Ogwen watercourse.

Hydro Ogwen is expected to generate approximately 500 MWh annually – enough to supply about 100 households and offset more than 245 tonnes of CO2 emissions – and this energy will be fed directly to the National Grid.

First developed by Partneriaeth Ogwen, the scheme is now owned and run by Ynni Ogwen Cyf, a community benefit company.

The £0.5m capital to fund the plant was raised through a community share offer and the disposable profits it generates will be gift-aided to a charity, set up by Ynni Ogwen, to distribute back into local communities.

“We are delighted to be involved in a project which will have such great benefits for the local area,” said Paul Williams, Managing Director of Datrys.

“It is heartening to see the community come together to fund and manage this plant, using and preserving the natural environment to their advantage.”

It is hoped that Hydro Ogwen will start generating electricity before the end of 2016.

DATRYS

Caernarfon: 01286 671027

Mold: 01352 706205

Email: info@datrys.coop

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