AMBITIOUS plans to generate hydro electricity from the town's historic water infrastructure will also have environmental and heritage benefits, Galashiels Community Council was told earlier this month.
The initiative has recently received £2 million from Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund. Ranald Boydell, who heads up the Energise Galashiels carbon reduction and renewable energy group, outlined his vision for the project.
He said: “The three sites we would be taking forward are the Tesco site where the lade is open right next to Paton Street and the Electric Cauld is right at the end of Nether Road. The Buckholm one has yet to be defined and whilst it may be around the scrap yard it may be more effective to install the kit slightly upstream, such as around the Buckholm Burn.
“Irrespective of electricity generation, simply the work of restoring the old Mill lades has environmental and heritage benefits to the town well into the future.”
Mr Boydell said he had been very encouraged by the support from the Scottish Government fir the project, which extends beyond the £2 million contribution.
“We are still finalising details, but we are getting a very, very positive reaction from the Scottish Government.
They made offers to eight or nine projects across the whole of Scotland, and we have been given a really clear indication that they want our project to be a success and we are being helped through the due diligence process, which is very encouraging.”
The project will be run by a new community benefit society (BenCom) community benefit industrial society model.
“It will be a cooperative rather than a company, and will be open to all members of the community. And we are hoping to set that up with a minimum investment of £100, so that we can get a really broad uptake across the board.”
The project came from a suggestion from Alistair Lings, of the Galashiels Waterways Group, that Energise Galashiels should explore the possibility of hydro generation on lades which had fallen into disrepair and were largely overgrown.
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