Sandford Hydro is a small hydroelectric scheme located on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, England. It uses the head of water provided by the weir at

Sandford Lock Sandford Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, situated at Sandford-on-Thames which is just south of Oxford. The first pound lock was built in 1631 by the Oxford-Burcot Commission although this has since been rebuilt. The lock has t ...

Sandford-on-Thames Sandford-on-Thames, also referred to as simply Sandford, is a village and Parish Council beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire just south of Oxford. The village is just west of the A4074 road between Oxford and Henley. Early history In 108 ...

, but is actually situated on the opposite bank of the river in

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between the ...

. It can generate of electricity with its three

archimedes screw turbine Archimedes of Syracuse (;; ) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in ...

s. Construction began in 2011, and the plant became operational in 2018. Sandford Hydro is owned by Low Carbon Hub Sandford Hydro Ltd, which is itself a subsidiary Low Carbon Hub IPS Ltd, an industrial and provident society for the benefit of the community that seeks to develop a decentralised, locally-owned renewable energy infrastructure for Oxfordshire. As part of the development of the hydro scheme, a new

fish pass A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movemen ...

has been constructed. It is designed to help fish adapted to both fast and slow watercourses, and comprises a gravel-lined channel with a gradient of 1 in 160, flanked at either end by sections with a gradient of 1 in 20 and brush and baffle components.

Gallery

File:Sandford-Hydro 171101 110832 (2).jpg, The turbines and the weir File:Sandford Hydro by the weir (geograph 6799566).jpg, Upstream side of the plant File:The fish pass by Sandford Hydro (geograph 6799570).jpg, The fish pass

References

{{Electricity generation in South East England, state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Oxfordshire Hydroelectric power stations in England Power stations in South East England