Loch Ness area for bigger than ever hydro scheme
published this on 12:08 am, Sunday, 8th November, 2009Community News| Renewable Energy| Water | Comments (rss) | Respond | Ping |
The Balmacaan Estate, north of Invermoriston on Loch Ness, is the proposed site for a massive hydro scheme not far from the current newest hydro power station at Glendoe above Fort Augustus.
The new scheme, of a dam and reservoir, is to have the capacity to power 1.5 million homes, six times bigger than Glendoe.
Are we seeing the beginning of a return to the glory days of Tom Johnston, Secretary of State for Scotland in the 1940s and prime mover in the epic drive to fuel Scotland with hydro power?
If we are, there’s a lot to be said for it – clean power, sustainable power, reliable power. With Scotland predicted to get wetter as a consequence of climate change, this is one natural resource we can be pretty sure will be to hand and at its most powerful at the time of year making the greatest demand on power supplies.
Scottish And Southern (SSE) will operate the new power station. The challenge they face is to improve on construction performance.
Their new dam at Glendoe commenced generation in January 2009, was officially opened by the Queen on 29th June – and closed 20 days later on 19th August. SSE described the problem at the time as a ‘structural failure in the tunnel near the top end of the headrace, where it is fed from the reservoir’.
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November 8th, 2009 at 10:50 am
At last. A return to REAL sustainable power, dependable (if we can remember how to build the pipes properly) packing much more power per hectare than any silly bunch of windmills. The loch created providing the possibility for increased leisure activity and a boost to our largest industry, tourism, unlike windmills. Hydro is also quiet, unlike windmills, which can be heard for miles at times.
Hydro, tidal and wave power are the way forward for Scotland. Let the people in the south of the UK see the consequences of keeping their city nights brighter than an average Argyll winter day, and stick the windmills there. There’s enough hot air and wind coming out of Westminster to keep them turning for ever.