Let’s build mills on the stream

Jan 29 2009 by Our Correspondent, North Wales Weekly News

IT is now obvious to all of us that we have only a limited few years to use oil, gas and even coal.

The only power that we can make is electricity. The big power plants have to transport electricity hundreds of miles and a fair amount of the power is then lost.

Many good people are working on more local ways of generating electricity and this brings me to my own little part of Wales.

The Gyffin stream in Conwy has run regularly from the hills to empty into the estuary.

Not that many years ago there were five mills on this stream all taking their power from the water and passing it down to the next mill and so on.

Perhaps a small dam could be built high in the hills, not far from the highest old mill. A pipe could then run down to a small turbine, perhaps next to Ysgol Felin, and produce enough electricity to power the school and more.

This project would also help a few people in the construction industry at this difficult time.

There might be better ideas than this, but most of us do not know whom to contact. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

PETER DYER

Conwy