A group of Tintern residents have launched a campaign to fight plans to install a hydro electric scheme in the picturesque Angiddy Valley. The scheme involves extracting up to 150,000 gallons of water an hour from the Beaufort pond and piping it to a turbine house situated over 1km downstream, thus by-passing a long section of the brook and a local fishing pond. Many residents have expressed their concerns to TAP Ltd regarding the potential environmental impact of the proposed scheme but claim they have largely been ignored. They also feel that the cost of the project (£250,000) is completely disproportionate to the claimed benefits of the scheme. "The attractive brook - the Angiddy - could be reduced to a mere trickle if TAP Ltd's hydro- electric scheme draws off over 150,000 gallons of water per hour from Beaufort Pond and pipes it for 1 kilometre downstream bypassing Furnace Pond," said one of the residents, Nik Cristinacce. "The environmental impact on this stretch of the brook and Furnace Pond is likely to be considerable but it has not been investigated. We feel it should be. "We all want to support renewable energy but not at any price. "Are the claimed benefits really worth putting the beautiful Angiddy valley at risk?" Residents also question whether the TAP proposal is a feasible project. Mr Cristinacce said a comprehensive understanding of the water flow in the Angiddy brook throughout the year was absolutely key to determining the amount of power and consequently the income likely to be generated by such a scheme. "To date, very little flow data exists for the Angiddy brook, " he said, "and there is no agreement in place with the Environment Agency regarding how much water TAP Ltd will be allowed to extract. "Therefore, at present, the technical and economic viability of this project, costing £250,000, can only be guessed." Residents also question whether the project is environmentally friendly. "Only a very small amount of CO2 will be saved per annum; TAP Ltd claim just 74 tonnes per year. "It has not been agreed how much water may be extracted, but TAP Ltd propose extracting over 150,000 gallons of water per hour. The impact on the 1 km long stretch of the brook that will be bypassed by the proposed pipeline is likely to be considerable and is currently un-assessed." Mr Cristinacce said the installation of the scheme would cause substantial temporary disturbance to the ecology, along the route of the proposed pipeline, which may take several years to fully recover. "Therefore, this project cannot be claimed to be environmentally friendly until a professional Environmental Assessment has been completed. "Tap Ltd has placed great emphasis on the alleged environmental benefits of this project to society. "It is, therefore, reasonable to ask whether the cost to society's taxpayers of this £250,000 project, actually makes any sense," said Mr Cristinacce. "We're not totally against the scheme in principal but we do have concerns and they need answering," he added. Residents have raised their concerns with a number of different organisations including the Environment Agency, CADW, the Forestry Commission and local councillors, all of whom have been very helpful. In June, Tintern Community Council unanimously agreed to withdraw its support from the proposed TAP scheme. In a letter to TAP Ltd, the council stated that "the lack of clarity, openess and consistency in the project to date precludes any continuing support".
