Loch Ness hydro project to go before councillors

Plans for one of three large hydro power schemes that would draw water from Loch Ness to generate electricity are to go before Highland councillors next week.

Loch Kemp Storage Ltd has proposed building a power station and tunnels near Whitebridge, about 10 miles (16km) north of Fort Augustus.

The Scottish government, which has a say on whether it eventually goes ahead or not, has consulted Highland Council on the project.

The local authority's officials have recommended that the south planning applications committee does not raise any objections to the plans.

Loch Kemp is one of three different pumped storage hydro schemes proposed for near Loch Ness.

The others are Statkraft's Loch na Cathrach, in the hills above Dores, and Glen Earrach Energy (GEE), near Drumnadrochit.

They would also draw water from Loch Ness to help generate electricity for thousands of homes.

Pumped storage hydro involves two bodies of water at different heights.

The water flows from one to the other through tunnels, passing through a power station to generate electricity.

When there is low demand for electricity from consumers and/or when surplus power is available from wind farms, electricity is used to pump water from the lower level to fill a reservoir further up the hill.

The water can then be released from the upper reservoir, flowing down the tunnels to drive turbines which generate hydro-electricity. This happens at times of high demand, or when there is not enough wind to power wind farms.

Loch Kemp Storage Ltd, which is owned by Statera Energy, has proposed damming Loch Kemp, the upper reservoir of its scheme, to raise water levels.

It also plans to construct an underground waterway systems and tunnels, and powerhouse on the shores of Loch Ness.

GEE has been holding community events this week as part of its work towards trying to secure consent for the 2GW project on Balmacaan Estate.

The developer has made a commitment to deliver a community wealth fund of more than £20m a year throughout the lifetime of the scheme.

A spokesperson said GEE was developing one of the UK's "largest and most water efficient" pumped storage hydro schemes.

Loch na Cathrach, formerly known as Red John, was granted consent by the Scottish government in June 2021.

The project was taken over by Statkraft in December 2023 and is in a pre-construction phase.

The UK has four existing pumped storage projects - Cruachan and Foyers in Scotland, and Dinorwig and Ffestiniog in Wales.

However, a large-scale pumped storage scheme has not been built in the UK for more than 30 years.

Foyers Power Station on Loch Ness opened in 1974, though hydro electricity has been generated in the area since the late 19th Century.

Operator SSEN Transmission has proposed an extension to the switching station, which manages the flow of electricity from the site.

A proposal of application notice was submitted to Highland Council in February.

The operator of Cruachan - an underground power station dubbed "Hollow Mountain" - has put on hold its plans for a major expansion of the site.

Renewables developer Drax had proposed building a new hydro-electric facility next to its existing complex inside Ben Cruachan, near Dalmally in Argyll.

But it said the costs of the project had risen and it would not be bidding for UK government support at this time.

The company said the expansion could potentially go-ahead in the future, "subject to an appropriate balance of risk and return".