| Small hydro
The Net Zero strategy was published in October 2021, committing the government to ensuring that the planning system supports the deployment of low carbon energy infrastructure, and to streamlining the consent process to keep the UK on track for 2030 climate targets. The BHA says that the EA’s charging proposals will
place a huge economic barrier opposing new small- scale hydroelectric power development in England, is in direct contravention to Net Zero commitments and is not joined up government. Mitigating for climate change is cited as a key driver behind the need to increase abstraction charges, and yet, the BHA states “there is absolutely no recognition in any of the EA documents referencing the contribution and benefits that additional run-of-river hydropower would bring to decarbonising electricity”. BHA gives the example of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Here, where there are often severe grid constraints and substantial wind and solar installations are forbidden, small hydro is the most cost effective and expedient way for many rural communities to transition to Net Zero. In particular, BHA says that hydroelectricity will also complement the requirement to move from fossil fuels to heat pumps and electric vehicle charging. The proposed charging regime will not only deter new hydro development, but also the ability of communities to move to EVs and heat pumps, “thereby locking in significant future carbon emissions”.
Economic impact One of the key principles of the EA’s new charging
scheme is to set charges that re-cover costs. However, the Environment Agency has confirmed that the economic information used for this latest assessment dates from 2013. The BHA says this is shocking and that the economic impact assessment applied to the hydropower sector lacks evidence and is of “a staggeringly poor quality”. “The economic impact assessment relating to hydropower applications is wholly unfit for purpose,”
BHA states in its official response to the proposed EA charges. “It makes assertions and draws conclusions which are not supported by any meaningful, up-to- date facts, any relevant analysis, or even the most basic understanding of hydropower projecs.” In conclusion, BHA says that the Environment Agency’s economic assessment “shows such a poor understanding of both our industry and the use of proper evidence to justify decisions which could have such grave consequences to the future development of this renewable resource”. f
Above: Cromford Mill in England. Nottingham City Council is working with local people to install a water wheel on the River Derwent to power homes with hydroelectricity
Left: Old mill with a waterwheel built in the early 1800s in Borrowdale in the Lake District. The British Hydropower Association fears that the price hikes will cease all development of new small hydropower in England for good
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