One of the greatest stretches of whitewater in the UK is under real threat.
The German company RWE NPower, in association with Dulas (a North Wales renewable energy consultants) are planning to dam and divert up to 75% of the flow above Conwy Falls (Penmachno Bridge) for the purposes of small scale hydroelectric power generation. The section under threat is known to paddlers as the “Fairy Glen”. To put this into perceptive the Conwy only needs 10m³/s of water for it to be paddled. The scheme will divert 6m³/s of water through a 2km long pipe. This will significantly reduce the number of days per year that the Conwy will be at the minimum paddling level.
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