The UK has the potential for thousands of low-output hydropower sites to be developed, according to a newly-published report. In its study, the Environment Agency highlighted over 25,000 locations in England and Wales where hydroelectric facilities could be set up and, combined – they could be able to electrify 850,000 UK houses, it said.

A large percentage of these sites, however, would need special environmental consideration to ensure local ecosystems did not suffer. These – along with limitations on where the national electricity grid could be tapped into – would likely lower the UK’s overall renewable energy total from hydroelectric installations, the agency conceded.

Hydropower in the UK

That said, there are several sites that would be ideal sites to generate hydropower in the UK, including parts of the River Thames, the Humber (in the North of England) and the Severn (in the West of England and in Wales). The estimated cost – should all the turbines be put in place – would be in the region of £4 billion: an amount that the contractors involved would fund, although energy customers would subsidise them to do so.

UK Renewable Energy

The UK is aiming to have renewable energy providing 30 per cent of its electricity within a decade. Currently, the likes of wind, solar and hydro power contribute less than six per cent.

The Environment Agency’s head of climate change/ sustainable development, Tony Grayling, stressed that none of the individual hydro turbine schemes being progressed would stray outside environmental regulations. For example, they would all see channels installed to ensure fish migration would not be hindered.

“Hydropower is a well established and reliable way of generating power”, Grayling said in a statement. “We believe it can play an important role in meeting the targets set by the government on reducing carbon emissions but we have got to ensure that they do not impact on other parts of the environment such as fish populations and flood risk.

“We are also currently looking at ways of streamlining in the way we regulate hydropower.”