Lochaber hydroelectric scheme | |
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Country |
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Location | Fort William, Scotland, UK |
Coordinates | 56°49′47″N5°04′13″W / 56.8296°N 5.0702°W |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1924 |
Commission date | 1929 (refurbished 2008-2012) |
Power generation | |
Units operational | 5 × 17.3 MW |
Make and model | Andritz Hydro Francis turbines |
Nameplate capacity |
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External links | |
Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Lochaber hydroelectric scheme is a hydroelectric power generation project constructed in the Lochaber area of the western Scottish Highlands after the First World War. Like its predecessors at Kinlochleven and Foyers, it was designed to provide electricity for aluminium production, this time at Fort William.
Water is collected from the River Spean catchment, plus the headwaters of the River Spey and some smaller watercourses. It contains two main reservoirs Loch Treig and Laggan Reservoir, and 18 miles (29 km) of tunnels excavated through the hillside.
The scheme was originally built between 1924 and 1943 by the British Aluminium Company. This company was bought by Canadian-based Alcan in 1982 whcih was subsequently bought by Rio Tinto in 2008. Rio Tinto Alcan then sold the scheme to GFG Alliance in November 2016. [1]
The hydroelectric scheme and aluminium smelter are still in operation.
The hydro scheme has a catchment area of 303 square miles (780 km2), [2] including the headwaters of the River Spey, the River Spean and River Treig, and the northern flanks of the Grey Corries and Ben Nevis. There are two principle reservoirs, Loch Treig and Loch Laggan (which was extended as Laggan Reservoir), both with a top water level of about 820 feet (250 m) above sea level. These reservoirs are linked by a 2¾ mile (4.4 km) long, 15 feet (4.6 m) diameter low pressure tunnel, [2] which collects water from three intermediate streams.
From Loch Treig, a main pressure tunnel 15 miles (24 km) long was driven around the Ben Nevis massif. This has a horseshoe shaped cross-section, with an equivalent diameter of 15 feet 2 inches (4.6 m). This tunnel also collects water from a further eleven burns along the way. It was, until 1970, the longest water-carrying tunnel in the world.[ citation needed ] Steel penstocks then convey the water down the western flank of Ben Nevis to the power house below.
Turbines in the power house generate electricity to power the adjacent aluminium smelting plant. The power house and smelter are located to the northeast of Fort William, on the eastern bank of the River Lochy, into which the tailrace discharges.
The scheme was expanded to increase output to meet demand for aluminium in World War II. [3] Floodwaters of the Spey are captured by Spey Dam and diverted via an open cut to Loch Crunachdan then through a tunnel to Loch Laggan. [3] In addition, the River Mashie (a tributary of the Spey) is diverted via an aqueduct and tunnel into the River Pattack, which flows into Loch Laggan.
The scheme was initially designed by engineer Charles Meik but after his death in 1923, the scheme’s realisation was left to William Halcrow, by then a partner in the firm founded by Meik’s father Thomas Meik.
The project was finally sanctioned by Parliament in 1921, but construction did not start until 1924. Given the scale of construction, it was undertaken in three main phases: [2] [4]
A narrow-gauge railway was used in construction and subsequent maintenance of phases 1 and 2, see Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway for details.
On 30 December 1929, the first aluminium was cast. [5] It took about 95% of the 82,000 kW of power generated. It eventually became part of British Aluminium.
The third phase of construction, the Spey Dam and tunnel plus the River Mashie diversion and tunnel, was supervised by Syril Minchin Roberts a partner in Sir William Halcrow and Partners. It was constructed by Balfour Beatty in 1942/43 with assistance from the Canadian Army. [6] [3] Many of these Canadian soldiers were ex-miners from Kirkland Lake. [4]
In 2008, Rio Tinto Alcan awarded a contract worth €30m for the upgrade of the hydroelectric turbines to Andritz Tech Hydro. [7] This was to replace the original twelve turbines, which were horizontal-axis twin-jet Pelton wheel machines driving two DC generators with a total capacity of 72 MW. [7] [8] Five new horizontal-axis Francis turbines driving AC generators were installed by 2012, [9] each rated at 17.3 MW giving a 20% increase in power output. [10]
Following the closure of Rio Tinto/Alcan's other UK smelters at Invergordon (1981), Kinlochleven (2000), Anglesey (2009) and Lynemouth (2012) the hydro-electric scheme and smelter at Fort William was operated by Rio Tinto Alcan. Under threat of closure the smelter was put up for sale in 2016. GFG Alliance, which incorporates SIMEC and the Liberty House Group, as the successful bidder, bought the Lochaber Smelter for £330 million. It announced plans to expand the factory and produce car parts such as alloy wheels. [11] This was later dropped, replaced by plans for a aluminium recycling facility announced in November 2020. [12]
On 3 April 2021, it came to light that the Jahama Highland Estates (formerly the "Alcan Estate") had been purchased in 2016 as part of the Rio Tinto Mines deal for the Lochaber aluminium plant, because the furnace requires so much power that the smelter is located near a hydroelectric plant, which drains the basin of the 114,000 acre Estate. Alcan designed all their smelters that way. The Estate includes the north face of Ben Nevis. According to reports, the Scottish Government mandated that the Estate never be split from the hydro plant and aluminium smelter, but Gupta ignored them and placed ownership of the Estate in a company that is domiciled on the Isle of Man. The 2016 deal was worth £330 million and was guaranteed by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer. Conservative finance spokesperson Murdo Fraser was critical about the alleged breach of the Scottish Government agreement and urged the Scottish Government to "take whatever steps are necessary to protect public funds". [13]
Fort William is a town in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe. At the 2011 census, Fort William had a population of 10,459, making it the second largest settlement in both the Highland council area, and the whole of the Scottish Highlands; only the city of Inverness has a larger population.
Kinlochleven is a village located in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe.
The Blackwater Reservoir is a reservoir created behind a dam in the mountains above Kinlochleven, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. The dam is 914 metres (2,999 ft) long, the longest in the Highlands.
Sir William Halcrow was one of the most notable English civil engineers of the 20th century, particularly renowned for his expertise in the design of tunnels and for projects during the Second World War.
Loch Treig is a deep freshwater loch situated in a steep-sided glen 20km east of Fort William, in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. While there are no roads alongside the loch, the West Highland Line follows its eastern bank.
Loch Ericht is a freshwater loch on the border between the former Perthshire, now Perth and Kinross and the former Inverness-shire, now Highlands Council areas of Scotland. It has a north-east to south-west orientation. The village of Dalwhinnie lies at the north east end of the loch. Loch Ericht is the tenth largest freshwater lake in Scotland and has a good reputation for its trout fishing and Ferox trout.
The Falls of Foyers are two waterfalls on the River Foyers, which feeds Loch Ness, in Highland, Scotland. They are located on the lower portion of the River Foyers, and consist of the upper falls, with a drop of 46 feet (14 m) and the lower falls, which drop 98 feet (30 m).
Laggan Dam is a dam located on the River Spean south west of Loch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands.
Loch Laggan is a freshwater loch situated approximately 6+1⁄2 mi (10.5 km) west of Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands. The loch has an irregular shape, runs nearly northeast to southwest and is approximately 7 mi (11 km) in length. It has an average depth of 68 ft (21 m) and is 174 ft (53 m) at its deepest. The eastern end of the loch features the largest freshwater beach in Britain. Since 1934 Loch Laggan has been part of the Lochaber hydro-electric scheme. At the northeast end of the loch is the hamlet of Kinloch Laggan.
The Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway was a 3 ft narrow-gauge industrial railway. It was a relatively long line, built for the construction and subsequent maintenance of a 15-mile-long (24-kilometre) tunnel from Loch Treig to a factory near Fort William in Scotland. The tunnel was excavated to carry water for the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme in connection with aluminium production by British Aluminium. The railway came to be known colloquially as the 'Old Puggy Line'.
The River Conon is a river in the Highlands of Scotland. It begins at Loch Luichart, and flows in a south-easterly direction to be joined by the River Meig at Scatwell before passing through Loch Achonachie. It is joined by the Black Water at Moy Bridge, and the River Orrin at Urray, before flowing past Conon Bridge and into the Cromarty Firth.
The Kenney Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam on the Nechako River in northwestern British Columbia, built in the early 1950s. The impoundment of water behind the dam forms the Nechako Reservoir, which is also commonly known as the Ootsa Lake Reservoir. The dam was constructed to power an aluminum smelter in Kitimat, British Columbia by Alcan, although in the late 1980s the company increased their economic activity by selling excess electricity across North America. The development of the dam caused various environmental problems along with the displacement of the Cheslatta T'En First Nation, whose traditional land was flooded.
Halcrow Group Limited was a British engineering consultancy company.
The River Garry in Inverness-shire is a Scottish river punctuated by two long Lochs, in the region of Lochaber. It flows broadly west to east through Glen Garry, starting in a wilderness to the east of Knoydart and ending at Loch Oich in the Great Glen, which forms part of the Caledonian Canal. There are a few tiny settlements within Glen Garry, but the only village of any size near to the river is Invergarry, at its mouth. Loch Quoich at the western end of the watercourse is dammed by the largest mass earth fill dam in Scotland, and supplies water to Quoich hydroelectric power station. Loch Garry is dammed by a much smaller dam in the gorge where the river begins its descent to Invergarry, and supplies water to Invergarry hydroelectric power station, close to the mouth of the river. Both hydroelectric schemes were built in the 1950s, with the aim of stimulating economic regeneration in the area. They have altered the ecology of the river, as both lochs were made considerably bigger as a result of constructing the dams.
Loch Mhòr is a loch in the traditional county of Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Its name literally translates to "Big Loch". It occupies much of the wide floor of Stratherrick which runs roughly parallel to Loch Ness, around 3 mi (4.8 km) to its southeast. A generally shallow body of water 179 m (587 ft) above Loch Ness, Loch Mhòr achieves a depth in excess of 20 m (66 ft) towards its southern end.
The Kemano Generating Station is situated 75 km (47 mi) southeast of Kitimat in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was completed in 1954, providing hydroelectricity for Alcan's Kitimat Aluminum smelter. The powerhouse is built in a cavern created 427 m (1,400 ft) inside the base of Mt Dubose. It produces 896 MW of power from its eight generator units, each of which has a capacity of 112 MW. It was the largest producer in the province when it was built, and is now the fifth largest electrical plant in British Columbia.
Gupta Family Group Alliance is an international group of businesses associated with businessman Sanjeev Gupta and the British Gupta family. Collectively, companies in the alliance are involved in mining, industry and trading.
Fersit Halt railway station named after the nearby hamlet of Fersit, was situated close to Tulloch railway station in Lochaber, Highland council area, Scotland. Fersit was a remote rural temporary private halt at the north end of Loch Treig where workers were housed who worked on the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme. The halt was opened in 1931 by the LNER, it was located near the site of a contractors railway ballast siding.