Linton Lock Hydro is a hydroelectric plant on the River Ouse in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

, England, between the villages of

Linton-on-Ouse Linton-on-Ouse is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles north-west of York. It lies on the north bank of the River Ouse. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' ...

and

Nun Monkton Nun Monkton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of York at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Nidd. Cottages and houses are grouped around a village green of with ...

. The first hydroelectric scheme was built here in 1923, but that was abandoned in the early 1960s. The second scheme to be sited at Linton Lock was installed in 2011 and a new generating unit came on stream in 2017. The combined output from the second and third generation plants is 380 kW, which is enough to power 450 homes.

History

Linton Lock was built in 1767 on the north bank of the River Ouse in North Yorkshire near to the village of Linton-on-Ouse. The river at Linton-on-Ouse was canalised by

John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the firs ...

as part of a number of acts that were intended to make the Ouse (and further upstream, the

Swale Swale or Swales may refer to: Topography * Swale (landform), a low tract of land ** Bioswale, landform designed to remove silt and pollution ** Swales, found in the formation of Hummocky cross-stratification Geography * River Swale, in North Yo ...

) navigable as far as

Bedale Bedale ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is north of Leeds, south-west of Middlesbrough and south-west of the county town of ...

. As part of the lock construction, a weir was built on the south bank of the Ouse to help control the flow of water into the lock. Both the lock and the weir are listed structures. The first hydroelectric scheme at the lock was instituted by the York Corporation in response to the high price of coal after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. The hydroelectric plant was opened in 1923 and visited in that same year by Princess Mary. This scheme was abandoned in 1962 as the National Grid came into effect with power being sourced from larger generating stations fed mostly by coal. A second plant was Commissioned in 2012 after a protracted planning process that saw rival schemes being promoted on the north and south banks of the river, which meant that the plans were submitted to two different local authorities (

Harrogate Borough Council Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa ...

for the south bank scheme and Hambleton Council for the other). As well as local opposition to the schemes (which was down to visual impact as opposed to the actual scheme itself), the

British Canoe Union British Canoeing, formerly known as the British Canoe Union (BCU) is a national governing body for canoeing in the United Kingdom, established in 1936 as the British Canoe Union. In 2000 it federalised to become the umbrella organisation for ...

(BCU) objected to the proposals. They, like the local communities next to the river, were not in objection of green power, but the building of the scheme would seriously hamper what the BCU described as "the second best place in the country to practise our sport." The 2012 scheme saw an

Archimedes Screw The Archimedes screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest hydraulic machines. Using Archimedes screws as water pumps (Archimedes screw pump (ASP) or screw pump) dates back ...

installed with a length of and a diameter of . The screw was installed in 2011 with a capacity to generate 101 kW. A second scheme was proposed soon afterwards and gained approval in 2016 with construction starting in that same year. This scheme involves the world's largest Archimedes Screw used in hydroelectric generation and is situated immediately to the south of the 2012 screw. The second screw generates 1,250 MWh per year and in addition to the siting of the turbine, the company behind the venture, Linton Hydro, also reconditioned the fish ladder, built a new adjacent fish ladder and installed a new slalom canoe course via a new cut in the south bank. Canoe England invested £200,000 to match the same amount of money by the company to build the new canoe course. When complete the course will be open to all canoeists including a local club which competes at national level. The operators of the 2017 scheme acquired 100% of the rights to the 2012 scheme, which means the combined output from the plant is 380 kW or enough to power 450 homes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linton Lock Hydro Hydroelectric power stations in England Power stations in Yorkshire and the Humber Buildings and structures in West Yorkshire River Ouse, Yorkshire Hydroelectric power stations in Yorkshire and the Humber