THE ENVIRONMENT Agency is considering a plan to install a new hydro-electric turbine on Otley weir.
The Lowwood Products Company has applied to the agency for a licence for the scheme, which would require restricting the flow of the River Wharfe near the former Garnett paper mill.
The proposals include installing two Archimedean screw turbines, a fish pass and a fish easement on the weir.
Bringing a working hydro-electric turbine back to the location, with a fish pass, has been mooted for years and was considered during early discussions about redeveloping the Garnett site.
It was also one of the conditions attached to the planning approval granted by Leeds City council for the 194-home, David Wilson Homes’ Garnett Wharfe scheme in 2011.
Local councillors have long backed the turbine proposal, welcoming the prospect of generating renewable energy.
Fishermen and naturalists, meanwhile, are hopeful a fish pass will help re-establish salmon and sea trout in the Wharfe.
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