Spaans Babcock delivers hydro screw for city centre of Durham, UK

Durham City is on course to become the UK’s first city centre development incorporating a hydro power generator following the installation of an innovative new water turbine.

An Archimedean screw was delivered by Dutch-based company Spaans Babcock on June 2. The screw will harvest energy from the River Wear to drive a 100kw generator that is capable of supplying 75 percent of the total energy requirement of the development.

The unit is expected to begin generating power in the fall.

River energy
The Archimedean screw weighing 20 tonnes and measuring 13m long, has been installed at the Durham riverside.

This equipment will harvest energy from the River Wear to drive a 100kW generator, capable of supplying 75% of the total energy requirement of the new Freeman's Reach development in Durham City.

The screw will generate energy 24 hours a day, enabling Freeman's Reach to be awarded an A Rated Energy Performance Certificate and BREEAM Excellent status.

Visitor attraction and improved ecology
The screw is set to become a visitor attraction in its own right and will improve the ecology of the River Wear as its design incorporates an improved fish pass. This allows fish and elvers to travel upstream more easily to access the upper reaches of the river.

Following its installation the Archimedean screw will undergo a programme of commissioning works before it begins generating power in the autumn.

The new turbine will continue the legacy of hydro power generation at Freeman's Reach, which dates back more than 800 years to the original medieval Bishop's Mill.

This news item was originally published on the website of Spaans Babcock.

More information
Spaans Babcock
Balk, the Netherlands
+31 514 608 282
www.spaansbabcock.com