VIDEO: £7.5m Knottingley hydroelectric plant to produce a 'century worth of power'

Yorkshire's newest and biggest hydroelectric power plant can provide energy for the next 100 years, according to its owners.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.The Knottingley hydro electric plant.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.

The £7.5million Barn Energy scheme in Knottingley, located just off the River Aire, was officially unveiled on Friday.

And the plant will generate electricity for 11 months of the year and is seen as a much cleaner way to produce energy.

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In fact, the plant is set to produce enough energy to boil five million cups of tea per week - enough for everyone in Yorkshire.

Speaking at the unveiling, which was attended by England and Yorkshire cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott. chief executive of Barn Energy Mark Simon says the plant was built with longevity in mind.

Mr Simon said: “We wanted to build a long-term source of renewable energy that will be here in 100 years’ time.

“Nobody will rock up in 20 years and say ‘we can do this better’ because you can’t really.

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“What you have here is an investment that is able to do the same thing in a hundred years.

The Knottingley hydro electric plant.The Knottingley hydro electric plant.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.

“All of the work, barring the turbines, has been sourced from firms within 70 miles of here.

“Basically, everything has been sourced from around us.

“This is the third scheme we’ve built in as many years here in Yorkshire - and each one is bigger than the last.”

In terms of the logistics of the site, two huge turbines help manage the flow of water, with each processing 15 tonnes of water per second.

The Knottingley hydro electric plant.The Knottingley hydro electric plant.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.

All work is done off-site and managed remotely.

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Austin Flather, a consultant involved with the project, said: “The turbines are the clever but invisible part.

“They are highly-efficient at extracting the maximum amount of energy and turning it into electric energy which we ultimately send out to the wider world.

“This is the biggest of its kind in Yorkshire and arguably one of the biggest in England.

The Knottingley hydro electric plant.The Knottingley hydro electric plant.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.

“They are substantial turbines here, and they process 30 tonnes of water per second.”

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Another crucial aspect to the site is the environmental benefits.

A new fish passage, which cost £2m, will allow salmon and other species to swim upstream - something not possible with the previous weir.

Mr Simon added: “The environmental aspect is really important to us.

“The Canal and River Trust are almost like the guardians of the river for the public.

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“The fish passage here is quite possibly the largest in Europe.

The Knottingley hydro electric plant.The Knottingley hydro electric plant.
The Knottingley hydro electric plant.

“Salmon and sea trout have been blocked by this weir for two centuries.

“Now, they will be able to get up past this weir, the next one and the next one so we’ll have salmon up the Calder in no time.”

Mr Boycott, who was born in Fitzwilliam, admitted he was a fan of anything that produces clean power.

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As he unveiled a special commemorative plaque, he said: “If it’s so good for the fishing industry and it’s renewable energy, then why aren’t we building more of them on the rivers?

“There’s lots of rivers in Yorkshire so it just makes sense.”

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