Project

Dragon Hydro has successfully overcome the difficulties of pre-construction development of a hydropower project on the Afon Cadair, located in Gwynedd, mid Wales and went on to construct and operate the plant. Dragon hydro was financed via an investment from Albion Ventures LLP. Since commencing operations, the installation has generated an average 1,700MWh of electricity per year, enough to power up to 500 households. The project utilises dual intake structures to divert the water flow and extract energy from the elevation drop that occurs over a distance downstream. The scheme is comprised of the following general components and sub-projects;

Intake 1
Intake 2
2km of HDPE Pipeline
Power-house and HV Switching Substation
Electromechanical Equipment
Transformer 2.1km of Overhead electrical line

The gross head of the scheme is 150m and the maximum turbine flow is 315l/s. The scheme is designed to deliver a maximum electrical output of 375kWe to the national grid at over 50% capacity factor.

The company conducted sensitive discussion with the Countryside Council for Wales, the Environment Agency and Snowdonia National Parks Authority from the earliest stages of the project, accommodating recommendations and requirements throughout the planning process. By working in close liaison with these authorities, Dragon Hydro has been able to ensure that the plant has positive impact on the environment.