Selset

Construction is now well under at the £2.5 million Selset hydropower scheme in County Durham.

This hydroelectric project is being built in partnership with Northumbrian Water, which operates a number of reservoirs in the area.  It is located at Northumbrian Water's Selset reservoir in the Lune Valley, about 14 kilometres north west of Barnard Castle.

The project is our first hydroelectric power station to be built in England.  Work began at the site in April and is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2010.

The Selset Reservoir provides a natural source of energy that will be used to generate electricity.  It will generate 750 kW which is enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes at full capacity. 

The powerhouse for the station will be built in the style of a Teesdale farm building in stone and with a pitched roof so that it blends in with the local environment.

Tim James, Project Manager at RWE npower renewables said, “Water is transferred from Selset Reservoir to two other reservoirs in the system and we just taking advantage of this flow.

“The reservoir has been operating for 60 years and we’re going to be able to take advantage of that free energy for the first time.”