The tour will be led by Ewan Campbell-Lendrum, Director of H2O Power. Beeston Hydro is the UK’s largest run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme on the River Trent, located at Beeston Rylands Weir in Nottinghamshire. Constructed in 1999 and commissioned in 2000, the station uses twin bulb Kaplan turbines to generate up to 1.3 MW of renewable electricity, enough to supply around 2,000 homes and producing over 7 GWh of clean electricity annually. Operating at flows of up to 66 m³/s, the scheme is an excellent example of how hydropower can harness the natural flow of a river to provide reliable low-carbon generation with minimal environmental impact. The site is also notable for its innovative environmental and fish protection measures. A combination of bio-acoustic fish deterrent systems, bubble curtains, and specially designed electrode arrays help guide migrating fish, including Atlantic salmon, safely away from the turbine intakes and towards the dedicated fish ladder, allowing them to continue upstream past the weir. These features make Beeston Hydro an important example of how renewable energy generation and ecological stewardship can successfully coexist on a major UK river.
The tour will include the 1960’s built concrete weir with the fish pass and hydro installed in the late 1990’s, viewing will be from the outside of the turbines and channels, along with the control room, fish barriers and bubble fish barriers. There is no charge for the tour, but please add a ticket at the checkout, so ensure capacity. There will be 3 tour slots that will be assigned closer to the event to each guest.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a 10 – 15 minute walk from the car parking area to the site, although very limited parking is also available at site, via a rough track, for anyone with mobility issues.
