Save our UK Hydro Power projects

House of Lords
LONDON
SW1A 0AA

Tuesday 2th February 2016

Dear Noble Lords,

We, the undersigned, are volunteers and supporters of community hydro-electric projects.

We humbly request our Noble Lords to re-consider the newly amended feed in tariffs for hydro-electric schemes.

The new tariffs, proposed by DECC, will come into effect on 8/2/2016 and 15-100kW schemes will see a 40% decrease in tariff rate, from 14.43p/kWh to 8.54p/kWh. This will render these low-head schemes non-viable. The vast majority of our community hydro schemes are low head, as our communities seek to harness renewable energy from existing weirs within our locality. The new tariffs have resulted in the overnight abandonment of such schemes. With an expected impact of:

• A loss of investment worth – £19,600,000;


• A reduction in volunteer hours’ worth – 24 full time equivalent jobs;


• A loss of community benefit funds worth - £30,940,000.

A return to 14.43p/kWh would allow good quality schemes to proceed. The feed in tariff is a vital early years support for Hydro schemes that are long term (50-80 year) infrastructure installations and investments, they bring long term financial and green energy benefits to our communities.

My Lords, we ask you to think of the history of our rivers and the noble cause of procuring clean energy from these sources. Generations of our forbearers; millers, farmers, weavers and artisans have used our rivers to generate local energy and our communities seek to reinstate these existing historic weir structures to serve our communities once again.

Please reconsider the feed-in-tariff for hydro-electric schemes and allow today’s communities to create our own legacy for future generations.

With hope and determination,

Yours faithfully,