Hydro scheme could help Cotswold restoration

MEMBERS of the Cotswold Canals Trust believe a hydro power scheme utilising a flood relief channel could raise money for the restoration.

In the 1950s the stretch of the Stroudwater Navigation between Stroud and Ebley was converted into a flood relief channel into which the water from the Slad Brook and Painswick Stream was diverted.

An opportunity

At Dudbridge, the combined flow from these rivers cascades over the two Dudbridge Locks (pictured) and their imminent restoration has created an opportunity to capture this energy with a small hydro scheme. The subsequent income will be used to help fund the maintenance and operation of the canal.

Trust Chief Executive Ken Burgin is pushing for the project with it already progressing, awaiting the arrival of the Funding Application Form.

Final voting round

Once this has been submitted, the company Energyshare  will issue a short list of projects for a final voting round.

The level of support initially placed the project 5th out of about 900. This happened within only about three weeks of the first supporters‘ registration round, but now slipped down to 6th position, with Ken extolling:

"It is therefore important that we keep existing support and encourage as many others as possible to become supporters to help the project to stay at the top."

"We need to get a good number of members/supporters to register on the Energyshare webpage. Anyone can register themselves, then they need to become a supporter of the Dudbridge Hydro project."

People can register:

http://www.energyshare.com/dudbridge-locks-hydro/ to become a supporter