National Trust raises money from Borrowdale Hydro

When the people who run pension funds want to put a hydro scheme in your valley it’s wise to pay attention. But the National Trust has not taken money from the city and has instead used their own funds to build a number of small hydro schemes in the Lakes. I saw two such schemes in Borrowdale, in the company of NT Ranger Roy Henderson and NT hydro expert Garry Sharples. Water is piped a few hundred meters down the hill, from the higher reaches of two small becks (Coombe Gill and Hause Gill). You’d be hard pressed to pick out the turbines, which are housed in small buildings, the size of a typical garage and built from local stone and slate: they look just like any old farm building or barn. The two sites in Borrowdale sell the power back to the grid and generate enough power to serve about 360 homes. These schemes aren’t cheap, but the typical payback is just 10-12 years! After that it’s clear profit! The money is ring-fenced and goes straight back to fund the work of the National Trust locally: paying for nature recovery projects all over the Lakes. It really is a win all round!

When the Trust started building hydro schemes – the first was at Stickle Gyll in Langdale – there was some opposition. But resistance has mostly faded now the Trust has a track record of successful schemes and can prove that sites are fully restored after construction work is complete. I was amazed at the work to restore Coombe Gill – it was left in a better state after the work than before.