Osney Lock Hydro is a 49kW run-of-river hydroelectric generator on the small island adjacent to Osney Lock in Oxford.  

It is based on an Archimedean screw hydropower system, chosen for its efficiency, robust design, low noise and ‘fish friendliness’. You can read more about this technology at www.mannpower-hydro.co.uk. An Archimedean screw is particularly well-suited for low head applications (where the ‘head’ is the difference in water level between the entry and exit). At Osney Lock this is typically around 1.6–1.8m.

Generation began in 2015, with an initial lease of 40 years on the Environment Agency land.The screw within the concrete hydro casing should only need to be replaced once during the 25–40 year lifespan,

The amount of electricity generated at any one time depends on the flow of the river and on the head. The hydro typically runs consistently from late autumn to late spring, when there is sufficient flow in the Thames. Annual generation can vary significantly from year to year depending on levels and timing of rainfall. The target generation for a ‘typical’ year is 179,000kWh. In summer 2021 our cumulative generation surpassed 1 million kWh.  

Electricity generated by the hydro and the solar PV panels in the roof is sold in the first instance to the Environment Agency’s Osney Yard maintenance depot. Any surplus beyond that demand is exported to the local grid. The installation benefits from the Small-Scale Feed-In Tariff support scheme for the first 20 years of its life.

Technical data

Maximum power output 47.8kW

Target annual output 179MWh (excluding solar array)

4-bladed screw blade

Width 3m, length 4.35m

Head height 1.7m

Capacity 4,000 l/second

Angle 22 degrees

Variable rotation (maximum 23 rpm)

Screw weight 11 tonnes

Environmental impact

The scheme has been designed so there is no negative impact on the Thames during high flow conditions. It does not increase flooding risk in any way.

The scheme design included construction of a new fish pass parallel to the turbine house, thus expanding the environment for fish. As part of the process to secure planning permission and Environment Agency support, we commissioned an independent environmental study to investigate any potential negative impact on local biodiversity, including impact on fish. The study concluded ‘Currently the weir represents an impassable barrier to all fish species and therefore it is not anticipated that the proposed scheme will have any adverse impacts on the river from a fish upstream migration perspective. Installation of the fish pass associated with the proposed scheme is likely to significantly improve fish migration opportunities past the barrier.’