Hydro-electric power

Perth-based Scottish and Southern Energy is to develop Scotland’s first conventional large-scale hydro-electric power station for 50 years.

The new hydro-electric scheme is at Glendoe in the western end of the Monadhliath mountains, to the east of Fort Augustus in Invernessshire. The power station itself, which will be built under ground, will be located close to the south east corner of Loch Ness.

With an installed capacity of around 100MW, Glendoe will be Scotland’s second largest conventional hydro-electric station and the first large-scale station to be built since 1957, when the Errochty station in Perthshire, which has a capacity of 75MW, was opened.

The power station will produce around 180 million units of electricity in a year of average rainfall. When synchronised, it will be able to start generating electricity at full capacity in 30 seconds and when operating at maximum capacity, Glendoe will be able to generate enough electricity to power almost 250,000 homes.