New reports reveals that Scotland dominates UK hydro power sector

Britain’s new-build hydro electricity industry is now 100% Scottish, with new research showing all projects with planning permission are north of the border.

No projects in England, Wales or Northern Ireland currently have the green light to proceed.

Twenty-seven schemes totalling 58.5MW – enough to power 42,000 homes – have planning consent, from Stirlingshire to Sutherland.
 
And the research by Scottish Renewables shows 14 schemes (26.8MW) are under construction in the UK – all in Scotland. They include one 1.5MW project at the iconic Falls of Bruar in Perthshire, and another on the West Highland Way near Loch Lomond.
 
Cuts to support under the British feed-in tariff last year have caused dismay in the hydro industry, which was enjoying a renaissance as organisations, many of them rural businesses, took advantage of the home-grown, green and stable power schemes provide.
 See also:

Scottish Energy News 18 Mar 2015: Albion Community Power invests £5m in two new Scottish hydro energy schemes

http://www.scottishenergynews.com/albion-community-power-invests-5m-in-two-new-scottish-hydro-energy-schemes/

A spokesman for Scottish Renewables, said: “Scotland’s terrain and rainfall mean the country is ideal for the development of hydroelectricity, but the rest of the UK has historically invested in this technology too.
 
“These figures show that a huge cut to support in the UK Government’s Feed-in Tariff review in December has already caused a contraction in the number of schemes being developed and, it seems, a geographical withdrawal to hydro’s traditional heartland.
 
“Hydropower provides green electricity with very low environmental impacts. Properly-maintained turbines can produce power for more than 80 years, and hydro enjoys huge public support, so it was particularly galling to see cuts of 37% imposed on the sector last year.”