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New Glen Lyon Hydro Proposal

The Aberfeldy-based C A Ramsay Partnership has applied to Perth & Kinross Council for permission to set up a £ multi-million 600 kilowatt hydro-electric power scheme on the Allt Da-Ghob (South Chesthill) burn across agricultural land, forests and rough hill ground on Glen Lyon.
The site earmarked for development is 16 kilometres west of Aberfeldy, is part of a Scottish Natural Heritage-designated area of great landscape value, with the burn lying within the River Tay special conservation area.
The Partnership, which owns the glen’s South Chesthill Estate, is headed up by Coldstream-based Major General Charles A Ramsay. His project agent, Alex Jameson, of CKD Galbraith, claims the “sustainable” scheme would provide an economic boost to farms in Highland Perthshire.
“Once built, the system will be easy to maintain, and will effectively run itself,” he said. “However, it will have an indirect beneficial effect on employment and the local economy with revenue coming from the renewable energy generated.
“That will promote diversification and the continuation of local employment in traditional areas that have been under considerable pressure over the last few years.”

Underground Grid Connection

Mr Jameson said the applicants are working “very closely” with Scottish & Southern Energy on the project, which could start in 2010 subject to planning permission and would take a year to complete. “SSE have come up with a proposal to underground the vast majority of the connection to the grid,” he revealed. “Hitherto, the electricity connection down Glen Lyon has been down overhead poles. This will benefit the glen visually and will be privately financed by the developer.”
The applicants have already carried out statutory ecological surveys along both the watercourse and a proposed pipeline route which would add to SSE’s existing broad cable network. An environmental statement submitted by CKD Galbraith claims that the run-of-river project would not disrupt the natural ecology of the area and would be “virtually invisible”.

Low Impact

“The environmental effects of the scheme best suited to the site will be small if the effects of the construction hours, in particular those associated with installing the pipeline are managed within tight limits,” the statement claims. “Landscape, recreation, traffic, noise and other issues should not pose undue difficulties for residents and visitors to the area, as long as disturbance is limited to the construction period when it will centre on use of the public highway servicing construction.” Around 25 vehicle journeys are estimated to deliver equipment, mainly the pipeline, over a construction period lasting up to nine months.
The developers concede that some mature trees along the lower part of the proposed pipe route would need to be felled.