Green Highland Renewables has announced the start of construction on a 1MW high-head, run-of-river hydro project near Achnasheen in the Scottish Highlands.
The £3.5 million Allt Gharagain scheme is located to the west of Achnasheen in Wester Ross, and is the fourth project in the immediate area being developed by the company.
Morgan Sindall is building the Allt Gharagain project, which is due to be connected to the grid in December 2014. It will use a Newmills turbine, similar to the turbine used at the Glen Lyon scheme, completed in 2011.
"It is good to get this project off the ground" says Ian Cartwright, Managing Director at Green Highland Renewables. "We secured planning consent in 2011 and it has been a long wait for our grid connection date to come around."
Since 2010 Green Highland says it has consented 37 hydro projects, built seven, and has eight under construction. The company has formed a joint venture with Albion Ventures, one of the largest venture capital trust managers in the UK, to progress the Allt Gharagain development.
Construction starts on Green Highland Renewables Allt Gharagain hydro scheme in Scotland (Courtesy: Green Highland Renewables)
