Scottish Power has lodged plans to build a new 100kW hydro-power turbine at Tongland Dam in Kirkcudbrightshire.
The new hydro scheme would utilise the existing compensation pipeline from the upstream face of the dam, returning the water via the powerhouse at the base of the dam into the River Dee.
The water would then be returned to the pool, unchanged in quality, via a draft tube underneath the powerhouse. As the powerhouse will not be accessible by vehicle, the control room which will house control panels and switchgear, will be located in a separate building above the dam.
If approved, the scheme would generate about 700 megawatts a year. A generator would be housed within a new building constructed in the pool area at the foot of the dam.
Electricity generated by the project would be exported to the nearby grid. Up to nine people would work on the construction of the scheme.
There is an existing fish ladder on Tongland Dam, but the installation of a turbine at the dam will have no impact on the operation of the fish ladder. The turbine will operate on the available flow, which will bypass the turbine during any periods of downtime to maintain the integrity of the aquatic environment downstream.
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