WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

4.2.10 United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
European Small Hydropower Association, Stream Map
Key facts
Population 63,047,162
Area 243,610 km 2
Climate Temperate; moderated by prevailing
southwest winds over the North Atlantic
Current; more than one-half of the days
are overcast
Topography Mostly rugged hills and low mountains;
level to rolling plains in east and
southeast 1
Rain
pattern
On average more than 1,000 mm,
heaviest on the western and northern
heights (3,800 mm), lowest along the
eastern and south-eastern coasts. Rainfall
is distributed fairly evenly throughout the
year. 2
Electricity sector overview
The United Kingdom’s total electricity consumption in
2011 was 364,897 GWh (excluding pumped storage),
with about two per cent net electricity imports from
France (4,700 GWh) and the Netherlands (1,800 GWh). 3
The bulk of electricity is supplied by fossil fuels power
plants and nuclear power plants, leaving renewable
energy at less than 10 per cent (figure 1).
Small-scale hydropow er
Other
Oil
Large-scale hydropow er
Imports
Other renew ables
Wind
Nuclear
Coal
Gas
0.19%
0.65%
0.98%
1.34%
2.33%
3.47%
4.22%
18.46%
29.06%
39.30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change 3
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
In 2010, the United Kingdom had 120 small hydropower
plants and a total installed capacity of 230 MW,
generating 750 GWh per year (figure 2). There has been
significantly more development in the last three years
due to the financial incentives for renewable energy
under the Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) and
feed-in tariff (FITs) systems. By 2020, the aim is to have
160 plants with a total installed capacity of 350 MW
(generating 1,100 GWh).
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
230 MW
350 MW
0 100 200 300 400
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
From the 1960s to year 2000, there had been very little
new hydro development in the United Kingdom.
Generation from gas, the resulting low electricity
process and the monopoly of the three governmentowned
electricity utilities meant that the relatively
expensive initial costs of hydro were non-conducive for
producers to tap the remaining potential. In the 1990s,
the realization that renewable energy was becoming
more essential to offset the use of fossil fuels and the
increasing desire for security of energy supplies caused
the introduction of the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation
(NFFO). Generators had to provide part of their
electricity from renewable sources and higher-thannormal
tariff incentives were introduced. This kickstarted
new hydro schemes but at a very slow pace and
NFFO was eventually dropped and considered a
fundamentally flawed scheme.
Since 2000, there has been a big increase in the desire
for new and refurbished hydropower projects to be
built. This was a result of introducing the Renewable
Obligation with its associated ROCs (see below). The
means by which renewable energy developers benefited
via a government-lead initiative based on payment via
the nation’s electricity bills was seen as fair and resulted
in a surge to generate renewable power with wind,
being the biggest and quickest technology to benefit
and develop. Hydro development also grew and new
small hydropower schemes and refurbishment of old
plants up to 20 MW capacity saw immediate benefits. In
2010, a FIT was also introduced to incentivize the lower
generation area (up to 5 MW) and, in particular, to
individuals and communities to promote renewable
energy projects.
From 2011, a further 485 MW was needed to be
developed to meet the 2020 targets. This would all
come from small hydro (up to 10 MW). With the delays
in getting actual hydro construction started, owing to
the uncertainties surrounding the FIT, this means that
approximately 50 MW per year is required. In
deliberation with Department of Energy and Climate
Change (DECC), the UK hydropower industry has
calculated that, with present capabilities, a maximum of
40 MW per year is possible. Discussions continue to see
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