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Greenfield resident first investor in community hydro

PRESS RELEASE

February 2012

GREENFIELD RESIDENT FIRST INVESTOR IN COMMUNITY HYDRO

Local resident Dave Sanderson from Greenfield is the first investor in Saddleworth Community Hydro.

“This project shows that local people really can make a small but significant difference to climate change. I like hydro as it is non-intrusive and efficient, uses well proven technology and will make money for 40 years. It will pay me an annual return on my investment and it will also enable other community projects to go ahead. There’s wins all round” said Dave.

The scheme is unique in England as it is the first community-owned scheme to use a ‘high head’ -  a big drop of 60ft - that gives the water considerable energy. Originally, residents planned to build on Saddleworth’s heritage of water power from the early days of the textile industry. However, the remaining weirs on the River Tame were only five feet high, insufficient to power a generator. That is when Tony Bywater, a retired paper maker and one of the founders of the scheme, hit on the idea of harnessing the outflow from the dam.

Saddleworth Community Hydro Ltd has been set up as an industrial and provident society and has already secured the majority of the funding via a £223,000 grant from Defra’s Rural Carbon Challenge Fund. They have launched a share offer to raise the shortfall of £120,000.

With the support of landlord United Utilities, they are planning to install a 51kW turbine at the base of the local Dove Stone reservoir, using water released anyway to keep the local river flowing. Not only will it generate enough electricity for 45 homes, it will also generate a financial surplus to support other local environmental community projects.

Dave, who is director of a low carbon manufacturing business and has a background in innovation, also liked the fact that the scheme is a first.

“If this can be done at one reservoir, then it can potentially be done at many more,” he said.

Shares costs £1, with a minimum investment of £250 and a maximum of £20,000.  A share prospectus can be downloaded at www.h2ope.org.uk.  If you’d like to contact someone in person you can phone Tony Bywater on 01457 875 423 or email billedwards1@btinternet.co.uk.