Rheidol needs you! Appeal for memories to mark anniversary of hydropower plant

This summer marks 60 years since the official opening of the Rheidol hydropower plant, and Statkraft, who has owned and operated it since 2009 is appealing for people who worked there in the early days of its operation – or even who played a part in building it – to get in touch.

Rheidol, located near Aberystwyth covers 162 square kilometres and is made up of an interconnected group of reservoirs, dams, tunnels, aqueducts, and power stations. The site generates enough electricity each year to power the equivalent of 40,000 homes with clean, green electricity, and is the largest of its kind in both Wales and England.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Statkraft wants to put together an online archive of the history of the hydropower plant, including photos of its construction, the people involved, and what it looked like when it first started operating back in the early 1960s. Statkraft also hopes to record a video of recollections from those who used to work at Rheidol or who have memories of their family members being involved, which would be used online and in its visitor centre.

Today, the team based at Rheidol also operates Statkraft’s UK and Ireland Control Centre, which manages its other renewable power generation projects, including wind and solar farms, as well as grid stability and battery sites helping balance Great Britain’s electricity grid. 

A number of events are planned to mark 60 years since the official opening of Rheidol, including the return of the 'end of season’ celebration fete in early September. Anyone who would like to share photos or memories is encouraged to email the team, at Rheidol.Admin@statkraft.com.

Katie Bouchier, Statkraft’s Office Manager at Rheidol, said: “I’d love to hear from people with memories of working at Rheidol, watching it being built, or who has recollections from family members that they’d like to share. Maybe someone in the local area has old photos or memorabilia in the back of a cupboard or up in the loft that we could borrow and return. 

“It would be even more amazing to hear from anyone still living locally who actually worked on its construction. We’d love to invite them down and show them how the plant is still going strong, all these years later. 

“It’s an important year for us at Rheidol, and we want to make sure our community are involved in marking this milestone. So we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch!”