One of the major hurdles for our Jordan Dam hydro scheme has been permission to take water from the River Don to power the Archimedes Screw technology we are proposing for the site. Abstraction Licences are given out by the Environment Agency, whose job it is to protect water supplies, navigation and the effect of water abstraction on the natural environment. The Agency has to agree to the design of any scheme, agree to the requirements for water usage taken from the river and apply conditions to any licence granted.

We are pleased to say that after going through an exhaustive application process the licence for the site was granted at the end of April.  Two of the conditions of the licence are the requirements for us to provide a fish pass and an eel pass to assist migratory species to pass over the weir. There is currently no passage for migratory species at Jordan Dam, but the Environment Agency is working towards meeting a European Directive on fish passage and schemes such as ours will help them meet the deadline of 2027. This part of the scheme may also allow us to apply for grant funding to construct the required passes.

Although it has been a long process we are very excited by the granting of the licence and the progress it represents.  Our thanks go to Rob Pilling and the Hydro Team in representing our case so well.

Obtaining this licence gives us further certainty on the scheme before the launch of our Community Share Offer later in the year.