GreenPower is pleased to confirm that a planning application has been lodged with Perth and Kinross Council for a run of river hydro electric generating station on the Carie Burn, South Rannoch Forest, Tayside. The Proposed Development will comprise a powerhouse, tailrace and outfall, one main intake and three secondary intakes, pipelines connecting each intake to the powerhouse, new and upgraded access track and a temporary construction compound. Some felling is required to facilitate construction and ongoing operation of the development.
GreenPower has been working with Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) as landowner and a range of environmental and technical advisers over the past few years to thoroughly investigate the site and develop an environmentally acceptable proposal. We have consulted with Perth and Kinross Council Planning Department, both informally in pre-application discussions and formally via Screening and Scoping requests, and a wide range of stakeholders, including the Community Council, SEPA and SNH, to identify relevant issues and the information required to support the Application. Furthermore, SEPA recently confirmed that their preliminary conclusion is that the Proposed Development meets their guidelines for run of river hydro schemes.
The Scottish Government has set a target for the supply of 100% of Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020, recognising the extent of Scotland’s important renewables resource. A significant proportion of the power generation capacity required to replace fossil fuel generation is expected to come from renewable energy generation. As Scotland has a good water resource, it has a great potential to generate electricity from hydro power, and the Proposed Development has the potential to contribute towards these goals.
The Carie Hydro Electric Scheme will have a positive benefit on the global environment in the form of emission savings of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. It is estimated that the development would displace approximately 28,000 tonnes of CO2 during its 40 year operational life.
For further details on the Carie Hydro Electric Scheme the following documents can be downloaded by clicking on the links below. Please note that volumes 2 and 3 are large files.