- Category: Renewables
- Energy type: Hydro
- Project type: Asset
Water from Loch Tummel is diverted via tunnel and pipeline to the Clunie power station, built at the point where the rivers Garry and Tummel join, just before flowing into the man-made loch at Faskally.
As visitors drive down to the riverside picnic area beside Clunie power station, they pass under the Clunie Arch, built to the exact dimensions of the tunnel which carries the water from Loch Tummel.
- Part of the Tummel Valley scheme
- Located near Loch Faskally
- 61.4MW capacity
Power from the Glens
Scottish Hydro Electric, then known as the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board and now part of SSE, was established by an Act of Parliament in 1943.
It was to be responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing and supplying electricity throughout the north of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands. This covers about 25% of the total land area of Britain but just 3% of the population. The region contains Britain’s highest mountains and largest inland lochs which, combined with high rainfall, make hydro electricity viable.
Hydro electricity is produced using the power of running water to turn the turbines of generating sets in power stations. The technology dates back to the late 19th Century when the first privately owned hydro electric power stations were built to power the aluminium smelting industry and to provide local electricity supplies. But it took the vision of one man, Tom Johnston, the Secretary of State for Scotland in Churchill's wartime coalition government, to bring power from the glens for the benefit of all. At the time, it was estimated that just one farm in six, and one croft in a hundred, had electricity. Today, virtually every home in Scotland has mains electricity.
Today, hydro electricity, together with wind farms and emerging technologies such as wave and tidal power, is helping the country meet its commitment to provide increasing amounts of energy from renewable sources. A major refurbishment programme of Scottish Hydro Electric’s hydro stations has ensured these wonderful assets can produce clean electricity for the nation for decades to come.
This booklet is dedicated to the memory of the ‘Hydro Boys’ whose legacy is the largest source of renewable energy in the country.