Published: Friday, 29th January, 2010 10:00am

Plans in for hydro scheme - part II

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PLANS for a second hydro-plant in Windsor have been submitted to the council.

Southeast Power Engineering (SEPE), the company behind the development at Romney Weir to power Windsor Castle, has applied for a certificate of lawfulness for the proposed development.

The application seeks to determine whether it is lawful to install hydroelectricity generation equipment at Windsor Castle Water Works.

Bosses at SEPE are remaining tight-lipped about the development, but a spokeswoman at Buckingham Palace confirmed plans for a second hydro-electric scheme.

She said: "I can confirm that a second planning application has been submitted for a much smaller hydro-electric scheme at the pumping station for the Windsor waterworks. This is close to the site of the first hydro-electric scheme at Romney Weir. Contracts for both are yet to be finalised."

Plans for the plant at Romney Weir have also taken a leap forward with work due to start later this year.

SEPE has been working with the Environment Agency for a year, since stepping in when Npower pulled out, to agree terms and conditions for the plant.

A lease has now been drawn up and managing director at SEPE David DeChambeau said he is confident they will be able to begin installation work late summer or early autumn.

He said: "We have the lease in our hands which should be signed in two or three weeks. Unfortunately there have been a lot of politics and reams of paperwork. The time consuming work will be out the way. The construction is the straight forward part and will only take two to three weeks."

The project, which was granted planning permission in August 2008, will consist of two four meter diameter Archimedes screw type turbines occupying two bays in the Romney Weir and will generate 300 kilowatts per hour at peak times enough to power Windsor Castle or 600 households.