Power on tap

WATER power: Tony Bywater, left, and Bill Edwards at the site of the proposed plant

Full stream ahead for Dovestone hydro-electric project
A GROUNDBREAKING project to harness the power of water to create electricity in Saddleworth will soon be in full flow.

Organisers toasted the dawning of a new era for green energy in the borough as they gathered at Dovestone Reservoir in Greenfield.

Standing at the site where a turbine will soon create enough power for around 45 homes, Tony Bywater and Bill Edwards, directors of Saddleworth Community Hydro, both bristled with excitement.

They’re seeing almost four years of planning and preparation finally come to fruition as the project will be officially launched at a public meeting on December 15.

The project will be the first in England to make use of compensation water — the fast-flowing torrent constantly pumped from the reservoir to feed the River Tame.

Mr Edwards said: “At a public meeting in Delph a few years ago the people of Saddleworth decided they didn’t want wind turbines.

“The great thing about this is that it will be totally unobtrusive.”

It’s planned for the turbine to be underground, meaning the gushing pipe that currently expels 3.5 million gallons of water a day would be shut off and water redirected.

The electricity created would then be fed back into the grid, and profits used for community projects.

The voluntary group will now raise money by selling shares in the project, so work can start in spring.

MEP Chris Davies will launch the share offer at the meeting on December 15 in the civic hall in Uppermill.

Investors will have to buy a minimum of £250 worth of shares (at £1 each), with a £20,000 limit per buyer. The group needs to raise £120,000, and investors are expected to see a four per cent return on their investment.

Mr Edwards added: “We’re over the moon to have reached this stage and we’ve already had people getting in touch wanting to be a part of it. We’re hoping to have the whole thing up and running during 2012.”

The spark of the idea first came from Tony Bywater in 2008: he had been a manager at the nearby paper mill for 35 years and had knowledge of the compensation water system.