Canal network could be used to transport biomass for power plants

[keble]

Terry Macalister

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 1 January 2012 19.41 GMT

 

Britain's network of 18th century canals could once again play a major industrial role, in a revival driven by the demand for green energy.

 

There are hopes that inland waterways that are now the preserve of walkers, barge-owners and holidaymakers may finally undergo a rebirth as freight transport routes to meet the needs of power stations run on biomass plants, where electricity is produced from wood and waste byproducts.

 

A scheme by the energy services company Dalkia that uses the Aire and Calder Navigation canal system in Yorkshire to carry timber for the power industry is being repeated in other parts of the country, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

 

"It is perhaps not right to call it a renaissance yet but there is huge potential for carrying biomass fuel, civic waste and building materials on the waterways. It can make commercial and environmental sense," said a spokesman for the FTA.

 

Biomass has become more important as the UK strives to meet a European Union target of generating 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020. But the moves come amid uncertainty over the future administration of the canal network as the government plans to disband the publicly owned British Waterways and transfer its work to a new Canal and River Trust.

 

The river Thames and Manchester Ship Canal are already in regular use but the narrow canal system – built largely in the latter part of the 18th century – has been out of favour for decades because vessels are slower than trains or trucks. However, according to British Waterways, which oversees 2,200 miles of canals and inland waterways, 1.5m tonnes of freight was carried last year and this figure is expected to rise. In their industrial heyday, canals carried nearly 40m tonnes a year.

 

British Waterways is currently working with the East Midlands Development Agency and others on a number of pilot schemes to see whether goods can be taken off the road and on to water.

 

Dalkia, owned by the French companies EDF and Veolia, has just announced plans to move 360,000 tonnes of wood products a year on the Aire and Calder to feed furnaces at a planned new biomass plant in Pollington, south of Leeds. The plant will provide renewable power to light and heat 60,000 homes.

 

A spokesman for Dalkia said that canals were a "cleaner" way of moving fuel than by road and the company wanted to make the wider £120m biomass scheme as environmentally friendly as possible.

 

Dalkia has already built 200 biomass facilities across continental Europe, where the wider canals were more obvious arteries for moving fuel around. Meanwhile British Waterways expects to be wound up by next summer and be relaunched as a charity with a reduced cash grant.

 

Britain's inland waterways are used mainly for leisure, with about 13m visitors a year. The canals were constructed largely in the late 18th century and flourished over the next 100 years until the coming of the railways.

 

The Aire and Calder Navigation Company made the River Aire navigable as far as Leeds in 1704 with the construction of locks. Two years later, the company made the River Calder navigable from Castleford to Wakefield. The Aire and Calder Canal still connects Leeds with Goole on the coast, 33 miles away, but in the past it allowed coal to be moved from the Yorkshire collieries for shipping overseas. Now coal tends to be brought from abroad and then carried by rail for use in big power stations such as Drax at Selby.

 

• This article was corrected on 2 January 2012 because it dated Britain's narrow canal network to the Victorian period instead of to the 18th century. The phrase "narrow gauge canal system" was changed to narrow canal system.

 

My link

[magpie patrick]

Interesting, I knew of the Pollington Scheme and am not surprised this is being considered elsewhere.

 

A note of caution though, when I was looking at Pollington, boats and trains were being considered in an effort to move enough material, as it looked like either would struggle with 100% of the traffic, and whilst 360,000 tonnes a year is doable on the A&C, how practical would this be on, say, the Trent and Mersey?

[Chris Pink]

Somewhere around 30 to 40 boat movements a day (36 tonnes a pair, 300 days working. ) = 80 boats engaged in traffic.

 

Don't see why not if someone was serious about it.

 

And just think; the 'slow down' barkers would be pigs in poo.

[luctor et emergo]

Time to move up north... it won't happen on the K&A.

[Higgs]

And just think; the 'slow down' barkers would be pigs in poo.

 

Well - the industrialists did kind of lose interest in the canals. They should thank others for making it possible to even consider industrial use again. Will they consider investing in the canals and not just cherry picking to benefit themselves only?

 

They'll not bother about hammering the locks, keeping to schedules.

[fanshaft]

Interesting, I knew of the Pollington Scheme and am not surprised this is being considered elsewhere.

 

A note of caution though, when I was looking at Pollington, boats and trains were being considered in an effort to move enough material, as it looked like either would struggle with 100% of the traffic, and whilst 360,000 tonnes a year is doable on the A&C, how practical would this be on, say, the Trent and Mersey?

 

Just to clarify - the use of the word 'canals'in the Guardian piece is misleading. There is no suggestion from anyone of using the smaller historic canals such as the T&M for large scale canal carrying. (Some may have seen my [edited] response in the Guardian).

 

We think very large craft combinations, maybe 350ft long (two pans pushed by a tug), as Pollington, the only lock is very long, carrying the containers will do the tonnage. Don't forget that 24/7 would be possible, but probably not necessary.

 

Regarding damage to locks, there is only one lock between Goole and the site.

 

While writing, a new (arguably a revived) traffc of bulk rice from Hull to Selby Westmill has just started, approx 24000 tonnes per annum to start with, using the ex tanker 'Seagull' of 300 tonnes capacity.

 

regards

 

David L

[Arnac]

On 14/01/2012 at 00:20, fanshaft said:

 

Just to clarify - the use of the word 'canals'in the Guardian piece is misleading. There is no suggestion from anyone of using the smaller historic canals such as the T&M for large scale canal carrying. (Some may have seen my [edited] response in the Guardian).

 

We think very large craft combinations, maybe 350ft long (two pans pushed by a tug), as Pollington, the only lock is very long, carrying the containers will do the tonnage. Don't forget that 24/7 would be possible, but probably not necessary.

 

Regarding damage to locks, there is only one lock between Goole and the site.

 

While writing, a new (arguably a revived) traffc of bulk rice from Hull to Selby Westmill has just started, approx 24000 tonnes per annum to start with, using the ex tanker 'Seagull' of 300 tonnes capacity.

 

regards

 

David L

 She's currently moored up opposite Goole Marina. Looking a bit unloved.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

15 minutes ago, Arnac said:

 She's currently moored up opposite Goole Marina. Looking a bit unloved.

 

Doing it wrong. You're supposed to paint it white on the inside to sell it for live aboard use in London.

[Ronaldo47]

I recall that in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, the Bow Backwaters and locks were renovated, and there was talk about making it as green as possible by transporting building materials to the site by water. An operator even acquired a number of lighters in anticipation, but in the event, nothing at all went by water.

[Arnac]

There are at least 10 similar vessels, in various condition, moored next to her. A sad sight to be honest. No doubt they would sell for a fortune down South.

[Bobbybass]

On 03/01/2012 at 11:29, luctor et emergo said:

Time to move up north... it won't happen on the K&A.

Probably not.

 

If they carry more than a bag of potatoes.... they'll be scraping the bottom,!