£3.5 million Shrewsbury river energy plan is on target

Mark Scutt, of Shrewsbury Hydro, says the project, which was given planning approval by Shropshire Council earlier this year, will put the town at the forefront of tackling climate change.

Mr Scutt has now been recognised for his efforts to make the project a reality, with Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth naming him Environmental Achiever of the year for 2015.

Mike Richardson, of Friends of the Earth, said Mr Scutt deserved recognition for his work as "someone who is making things happen, not just talking about it".

He said: "Mark has done a fantastic job. He has taken the hydro all the way from being just a dream to a fully-fledged, viable project."

The plan has needed to satisfy three sets of requirements to reach its current stage, including planning consent from Shropshire Council, an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency and flood defence consent.

The next stage is for the scheme to receive approval of its feed-in tariff from the Government – expected to be confirmed in early 2016.

Mr Scutt said he was thrilled that the work of those involved in the project had been recognised and said he was looking forward to making more progress with the scheme.

He said: "I was delighted to receive the award on behalf of the Shrewsbury Hydro Team. A lot of work has been done and we are getting there."

Next year will also see the organisation look to secure around £3.5 million in funding, with members of the public invited to invest in the project, which is expected to last for up to 100 years.

The project – which will see an underwater turbine built at Castlefields weir and a new fish pass created – will generate enough electricity to power 400 homes.

It will be expected to operate for nine months of the year.

Mr Richardson said the Friends of the Earth were excited about the project becoming a reality. He said: "We love this scheme. It is a huge credit to Mark and his team from Transition Town Shrewsbury to have steered it successfully this far, and we are delighted to celebrate that achievement."

Mr Scutt has said that the scheme is one that Shrewsbury can be proud of.

He said: "I think the whole idea is Shropshire should be a leader in combating climate change and that is what this is about, as well as using the power of the River Severn as it flows through Shrewsbury instead of just letting it flow through to the sea.

"We will save up to 1,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions going up into the atmosphere every year.

"That is a key part of what we are doing, it is renewable energy."