The Congleton Hydro Scheme, backed by HMK Automation, is supporting Siemens to achieve its Net Zero targets ahead of schedule.
The hydro-electric generation plant has been installed at the 250-year-old Havannah Weir on the River Dane to deliver a clean and renewable source of power for the Congleton community.
The six-year project was finally complete in October 2021, and Siemens is now successfully using the green energy it is producing to help power its factory in Congleton.
HMK Automation has supported the project from its infancy – providing our engineering expertise and more than £40,000 worth of equipment. This has included the regenerative drive system made up of the cubiclised electrical drive, motor/generator and gearbox, which automates the generation of electricity from water flow over the weir.
Gary Kitchin, Managing Director at HMK Automation Group, said: “As a Congleton-based business, we’ve been really proud to lend our support to the Congleton Hydro Scheme, which is a fantastic initiative and an impressive feat of engineering that is benefitting the Congleton community and the wider environment.
“We’ve also been an approved distribution partner of Siemens for more than 30 years, so it’s brilliant to see that this project is now helping our long-standing partner to achieve their Net Zero ambitions.
“The Siemens factory in Congleton manufactures more than 1.2million drives and controls each year, which are amongst some of the most in demand products for our customers. As an organisation, we’re committed to cutting our own carbon footprint, so it’s reassuring to know that the market-leading products we supply from Siemens are also produced in a ‘green’ environment, which in turn reduces the environmental impact of our supply chain.”
The Congleton factory is leading the way for Siemens, which has committed to ensuring all its operations are carbon neutral by 2030.
As part of the hydro project, 1km of buried cable was laid from the Havannah Weir to the Siemens factory site, which is now generating 75kw of renewable energy, and putting it on track to achieve carbon neutrality this year – eight years ahead of schedule.
The hydro project is the creation of Dane Valley Community Energy (DVCE) a not-for-profit group of volunteers with a vision to make Congleton a more sustainable town.
Some of the equipment donated by HMK Automation
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