A Blueprint for Community Energy: Corwen Leads the Way

In the Dee Valley town of Corwen, community-led energy is already powering change. Through local initiative and collaboration, the Corwen Electricity Cooperative (CEC) has developed two small-scale hydro schemes that are not only generating clean energy but also delivering tangible community benefits.

Community Roots: Corwen’s Hydro Success

In the small town of Corwen in North Wales, local people have already achieved something extraordinary. Through the Corwen Electricity Cooperative (CEC), they’ve successfully installed and run two small-scale hydro schemes. The first, Nant y Pigyn (55kW), launched in 2018 and was funded through a community share offer. It not only delivers cheaper electricity via Energy Local but also reinvests into the area through a community grant fund. The second scheme at Bronwm (100kW), supported by various grants, was connected to the grid in late 2023, with an official opening planned for early 2024.

These initiatives showcase how community-led energy schemes  which are locally owned can unlock lasting community benefits from renewable energy.

Our Role: Supporting the Next Chapter

As part of our community engagement for the Moel Chwa Energy Park, we reached out to CEC and were inspired by their success. Together, we explored how Bute Energy could support the next stage of their journey.

Working in partnership, we funded a feasibility study to identify new small-scale hydro opportunities across the steep-sided valleys of the River Dee and its tributaries. This desktop study is now underway, assessing rainfall data, topography, potential generation capacity (over 30kW), and proximity to grid connections. It will also examine land ownership and environmental constraints to build a ranked list of preferred development sites.

Collaboration in Action

This project brought together a diverse group of partners, including Community Energy Wales, Ynni i Fynni, the Welsh Government Energy Service, and the Rhug Estate, for a joint site visit and planning session. It’s a great example of how public, private, and community partners can work together to unlock local energy potential.  This is only the first step in what we hope will be a long lasting partnership to enable further support if our other energy parks gain approval by Welsh Government, similar to Twyn Hywel Energy Park.

For CEC and Corwen, this collaboration could unlock new sources of clean energy, new income streams for the community, and even greater control over how energy is generated and used locally.