Green energy plan for 45,000 homes

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British Waterways set a target of building 50 wind turbines and an unspecified number of small-scale hydro schemes over the next five years, with the capacity to generate enough electricity to power 45,000 homes.

The public corporation, working with Partnerships for Renewables, is now looking at potential sites, believing it could generate over than 10 times more electricity than it consumes.

Chief executive Robin Evans said: "This is a real example of a public organisation using its land in innovative ways to generate additional income and work towards a more sustainable future.

"We look after 2,200 miles of canals and rivers throughout the UK and, whilst always protecting their heritage, are proactively looking at how we can use this resource to make a contribution towards the fight against climate change.

"We believe that our waterside land could host around 100 megawatts of renewable energy capacity - some 219,000 mega watt hours. If we successfully develop this resource it would mean that the nation's canal network would generate more than ten times more electricity than it consumes."

Stephen Ainger, chief executive of Partnerships for Renewables, which helps develop renewable energy projects in the public sector, said Wednesday's announcement marked the beginning of a trend, adding: "It is great to see that British Waterways has demonstrated the vision to become a torch bearer for others to follow."

Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner Nick Rau said: "We're delighted that British Waterways is planning to take action on climate change by generating its own safe, clean renewable energy and cutting fuel bills at the same time.

"Community-scale renewable energy projects such as hydropower schemes and wind turbines have a huge role to play in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and helping Britain to develop a low-carbon economy."