A COMMUNITY-OWNED hydro-electric scheme in Oxford has finally started generating electricity.

The Osney Lock Hydro had been in the testing phase since the beginning of April and went live once a required fish pass was completed earlier this month.

The electricity will be primarily used to power the Osney Mead Environment Agency offices next door, with the remainder being fed into the national grid – a process which has already begun.

The project’s director Saskya Huggins said: “I’m delighted to report that the hydro has started generating.

“We are now focused on the next phase of the project – namely how we can turn it into a resource for the wider community.

She added: “In particular, we’ve been talking to the local schools and universities to understand how they might like to use the hydro as a teaching resource, and what we can put in place to facilitate that.”

The £650,000 turbine – paid for by a share offer – will generate 179,000kwh a year – enough to power more than 50 homes.

Money from the sale of the electricity will be put towards future local environmental projects – it is hoped the scheme will raise £2m over a period of 40 years.

The project, commissioned in January, was held up by delays, including the construction of a fish pass so fish can get through the Osney Lock section of the river for the first time in 200 years.