Hydropower – a regulatory perspective

Jacques Sisson

EA North Wales Area Account Manager HEP

Area Environmental Planning Team

Environment Agency Policy on Hydropower

shaped by the need for climate change mitigation

supports the Government’s targets for the use of renewable energy (15% by 2020)

duty to protect the environment and balance the benefits/impacts

facilitate DECC ‘Feed in Tariff’ initiative

Feed in Tariffs (FIT):

FITs introduced in 2008 Energy Act

Tariff for every KWh produced, for own use and for feeding into the National Grid.

Additional bonus payments for electricity you export into the grid

A reduction on your standard electricity bill, from using energy you produce yourself

Developer

NCCC

PSC

Team Leader

Account Manager

Advice:•What type of permit?•Indicative score (HH)•Site visit if needed•Amount of water to be licensed•Any pipeline route issues•Advice to contact CCW, SNP, LA

Virtual Team•Fisheries•Hydrology•Biodiversity•WFD•Flood risk management•Planning Liaison

NPS

Formal application

1. WR135 pre-app

(20 days)

(10 days)

Pre-application

2. Allocation

3. Consultation WR49

4. Advise formal application

HEP permitting process

3-4mths

No statutory time limit

Agency Permits

Impounding licence

Abstraction licence (full/transfer)

Flood defence consent

Fish pass approval

Impoundment licence

Structure that obstructs or impedes flow of inland water

Examples dams, weirs

Not time limited

Cost £135 application fee + £100 advertising fee + costs

Abstraction licence

Required to remove or abstract water from:

a surface source e.g. river, stream, canal, reservoir, lake;

an underground source e.g. aquifer

Generating less than 5MW – no annual charge

What does HEP look like?

What does HEP look like here?

Resource assessment

How much water is there?

How much water can be abstracted?

How much water does the ecology require?

What would the impacts of abstraction be?

LegislationDomestic:

Water Resources Act 1991Water Act 2003Environment Act 1995Land Drainage Act 1991. Technical Advice Note 15, Development and Flood Risk (July 2004) Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 The Marine and Coastal Access Act (eels)

Legislation

European

Natura 2000 aka Habitats Directive

Water Framework Directive 2000

Eels Directive 2007

Freshwater Fish Directive 2006

Shellfish Waters Directive 2006

CAMS: 5 WRMUs WFD: 34 Waterbodies

#* #*

Consider: Abstraction Regime

Impacts on stream flow:

Flow depletion

Flow variability

Reduced in-river & marginal habitat

Flow barriers to fish passage

Environmental score – High Head HEP

Depleted reach: assessed for potential impact on the sensitivity of the river to abstraction

Scores for river physicality, fish, macro-phytes and macro-invertebrates

Score will determine the percentage of flow available for abstraction, the more sensitive the river, the less water available.

A % of the available flow above the HoF (HH).

WALES Scores for High Head HEP

Maximum abstraction percentage allowed

BAND Env. Score

Percentage allowable take above HoF

Seasonal variation(additional %age where applicable)

A 41 – 48 40 Up to +20%

B 31 – 40 50 Up to +20%

C 21 – 30 60 Up to +20%

D 11 – 20 70 Up to +20%

E 10 or less 80 - 100

Physical characteristics

Riffles, pools, small falls

Waterfalls

Pools and weirs

Macro-invertebrates

Mayfly - Heptageniidae

Whirlygig beetle - Gyrinidae

Macro-phytes

Water starwort - Callitriche

Afon Alwen bryophyte population

Fish

European eel – Anguilla anguilla

Atlantic salmon – Salmo salar

Sea trout - Salmo trutta

Lamprey!

Appropriate screening

X

Dinorwic Fish Pass Ruthin Weir

Osbaston HEP, River Monnow in Monmouthshire

Good Practice Guide

Low Head HEP

Abstraction of the available flow above HoF (LH) ‘Fish friendly turbines’: archimedes screw kaplan.No abstraction licence required if turbine is in the weir

Other considerations:

Impact on other protected species e.g. otters, water voles

Planning approval in a designated area (SNPA, LAs, CCW)

Proximity to public footpaths/amenity value

Proximity to/limit of existing electricity grid connection

Land ownership esp. riparian