Consents

No hydropower project can proceed unless it secures the appropriate consents from the various regulatory bodies.  A typical project will require an Abstraction License and/or Impoundment License from the Environment Agency (EA) plus Flood Defense Consent for the actual construction phase of the project.  In addition Local Authority planning permission will also be required along with permission from the electricity Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to connect the system to the grid to export electricity.

Renewables First  has more experience of obtaining hydropower consents than any other UK hydro company.  The depth of our knowledge is such that when the government wanted to streamline the EA consenting process for hydropower licensing they came to us, and the initial drafts of the new EA Hydropower Good Practice Guides were written by us.  We can navigate your project through the bureaucracy, misunderstanding and misinformation that surrounds most hydropower license applications and ultimately deliver a license that both meets the requirements of the EA and allows sufficient water to pass through the hydro system to make it viable.

Each consent is described in more detail below, along with the skills that Renewables First draws upon to obtain the consents and how the various applications fit within the overall project plan.

Environment Agency (EA) consents

EA Abstraction License

This license gives the holder the right to remove the water from the river and most hydropower projects will require one.  Most people quickly ask 'why do I need an abstraction license when I'm returning the water straight back into the river?', which is a fair question.  The answer is that although the EA abstraction license process is more appropriate for consumptive abstractions like irrigation and drinking water supply the same legislative framework is used to regulate non-consumptive hydropower abstractions.  The main issues are:

• How much water will be removed over the whole range of expected flow conditions?
• Where will it be abstracted from and discharged to, and how long will the depleted section of river be?
• Will the resulting changes to the local ecology be acceptable?
• How will fisheries interests be protected?
• Will it impact amenity value (e.g. visual amenity or canoeist access etc)?

Due to the diverse range of issues, the number of external statutory consultees that are involved in the application process and the amount of supporting information that is required it normally takes between six and eighteen months to obtain an abstraction license depending on the complexity and sensitivity of the site.

Because of the significant impact on the project timeline we carry out an initial consultation stage (EA1) with the EA at the feasibility stage to outline the project and get a formal response which defines which licenses would be needed, any special environmental constraints and the scope of any special surveys that would be required.  From experience we have found that an early consultation to explain the project, iron-out any initial misconceptions and to receive an initial formal response to the proposal from the EA is the best way to start the EA licensing process off.

Once the project has progressed through the feasibility stages and a firm decision has been taken to develop the site we recommend starting the formal license application with the EA as a priority.  In the Renewable First project plan we call this the EA2 stage.  Often this is done in parallel with the outline design stage (D1) so that the drawings and designs produced can be used to support the EA2 application.

EA Impoundment License

An impoundment license can be used instead of or sometimes as well as an abstraction license.  They are generally used when the hydropower system will be integrated into an existing impounding structure, such as a weir.  The issues to be considered are generally the same as for an abstraction license, though the section of river with a depleted flow is normally significantly less or non-existent, which can simplify the licensing process.

EA Flood Defense Consent

Unlike the abstraction and impoundment licenses which relate to the operation of the hydro system, the flood defense consent relates to its construction and impact on local land drainage issues.  The issues to consider are:

• Flood risk during the construction phase, in particular temporary dams and flow diversion
• Construction method statement, sequencing and impact on the local environment
• Long-term changes to flood risk for the surrounding area (both positive and negative)

Renewables First are experienced constructors as well as consultants and designers of hydropower systems, so we know how to prepare, construct and operate a hydro site.  We can prepare all of the necessary drawings, flood risk assessments and method statements for the flood defense application and support the application through the process.  This minimises delays by providing the right information up-front and knowing how to answer questions as they arise.  Flood Defense Consent is normally applied for once the outline system design (D1 stage) is complete so that the drawings produced can be used to support the application.

Local Authority Planning Consent

Planning consent is generally not as significant an issue as the EA consents.  Hydropower by its nature has a relatively low visual impact which leads to fewer issues being raised at the planning application stage plus Local Authorities are generally supportive in-principle of hydropower schemes.  One important point is that because the EA are a statutory consultee on planning applications relating to rivers, the EA will generally not support the planning application unless they have already approved the associated abstraction/impoundment license and flood defense consent.  Also note that if the weir or existing turbine house is a listed structure or is a local landmark there would be additional issues to address, but again these issues can normally be addressed relatively quickly.

Renewables First make the planning application on behalf of the client, provide all of the necessary drawings to support the application and follow it through the planning process.  We normally recommend that the first contact is made with the local authority after the feasibility stages have been completed and during the outline design (D1) stage.  This ensures that all of the technical information on the system is available, the initial consultation with the EA is complete and a formal response has been received and the initial outline design drawings are available to clearly show the proposal to the planners.  For sites with listed structures we may recommend an earlier consultation at the feasibility stage.

Electrical Connection Agreement (DNO Consent)

The electrical connection is often overlooked but is vitally important; it doesn't matter how good a hydropower site is if the energy generated cannot be exported into the distribution network.  Renewables First has the electrical engineering expertise in-house to deal with the DNO (Distribution Network Operator) to determine if the local grid is electrically strong enough to accept the proposed electricity export and if not find out what upgrades would be required and at what cost.

We routinely deal with G83 and G59 grid connections and once at the installation phase we can specify and procure all of the appropriate protection relays and contactors and arrange for the formal witness-testing to be carried out.

We make an initial assessment of the electrical export capacity of the site at the feasibility stage and depending on the result of this we would recommend whether the initial consultation with the DNO (stage N1) should occur at the feasibility stage or during the outline design stage.  Assuming the project progresses into the design stage the formal application to grid connect the system (D2 stage) would be made then.