100 years of clean, green energy!

One of Wales's largest hydroelectric power stations celebrates its centenary in 2007.

On 26 June 2007, over 150 guests gathered to celebrate what has been achieved at Dolgarrog hydroelectric power station in the last century.

Civic dignitaries, former and current employees, representatives from the local community and other workers from the hydroelectric industry had the opportunity to look around the power station, including the recently established National Operations Centre, and learn more about its history and current operation.

The "Hydroelectricity - Past, Present and Future" theme speakers with the Dolgarrog Centenary Plaque - (From left to right) Andy Billcliff (Current Dolgarrog Station Manager and Head of Renewables Production for npower renewables), Kevin McCullough (Managing Director, npower renewables), Dewi Thomas (Former Dolgarrog Operations Manager and Local Historian) and Neville Hughes (Former Dolgarrog Station Manager).

In addition, school children from six local primary schools attended the celebrations. The schools recently completed a special centenary project where they each produced a section of a mosaic depicting the past, present and future of hydroelectric power. Over 200 children contributed to the artwork which was displayed during the event.

Local primary school children who took part in a special Dolgarrog centenary art project on the theme of "Hydroelectricity - Past, present and future" show off their artwork.

As part of this year's centenary celebrations, five commemorative centenary pictures were commissioned and are now on permanent display in the power station. They were painted by Conwy artist, Jean Morgan-Roberts.

Centenary paintings - Andy Billcliff, Current Dolgarrog Station Manager and Head of Renewables Production for npower renewables, and Jean Morgan-Roberts, a local artist from Conwy who was commissioned to provide 5 centenary paintings of the Dolgarrog hydroelectric power station site.

Dolgarrog Hydroelectric Power Station is npower renewables' second oldest operating project after Cwm Dyli hydroelectric station, also located in Snowdonia and just a year older. In 2006, Dolgarrog became the npower renewables National Operations Centre, responsible for monitoring and operating all of the business's hydroelectric power stations and wind farms in the UK.

Kevin McCullough, Managing Director of npower renewables, said, 'Hydroelectric power is a key part of our portfolio and I am proud that we own and operate a power station which has been contributing clean, green electricity to the energy mix for 100 years. The state-of-the art technology coupled with the skills and expertise of our workforce mean that we can provide power for nearly fifteen thousand homes every year. npower renewables is active in a number of projects in North Wales and we are expanding our investment here not least in the recently created National Operations Centre.'

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