As the date for accreditation of the Feed-in-Tariff comes closer, work at the site continues at a pace. In order to qualify for the tariff which secures a revenue stream for the next twenty years, the site needs to be commissioned before 18th September 2016. The works programme has been carefully planned to ensure we meet this deadline and we are pleased to report that significant milestones have now been reached, however there have been some challenges.
Firstly the excavation work to be carried out in order to install the pipe at the necessary depth proved to be much harder than anticipated and extra teams were needed to dig out some stubborn rock towards the weir end of the trench. Importantly, the turbines have arrived from Slovenia and although they were three weeks late; they are currently being installed in the powerhouse. The civil works at the weir are complete and ready to receive water from the river. The final stage of the programme is to bring all these components together and commission the site. We are hoping the works will be complete and the Feed-in-Tariff accredited with Ofgem before our deadline, but as yet we cannot be certain of that. The whole team is working hard to achieve this and we will communicate the outcome once it is known for certain.
The Rumbling Bridge Board are planning to hold an open day once the site has been handed over, so local people and members of the Society will be invited to attend the official opening ceremony.