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Go ahead for Keltney Burn hydro
24/09/2008
A new hydro station in Perthshire capable of powering 1300 homes has been approved by Ministers today.
The Keltney Burn run of river scheme near Aberfeldy will have a capacity of two Megawatts.
Energy Minister Jim Mather said:
"This is a tangible demonstration that new hydro power has a bright future in Scotland. This scheme will meet the demand of around 1300 homes and is a step towards our tough targets for renewable electricity.
"We are already processing ten applications for new hydro schemes and a report published earlier this month showed that our untapped hydro potential could power a quarter of the nation's homes. We could witness a new stream of similar, sustainable and profitable hydro schemes.
"We need to harness all of Scotland's diverse renewables potential, and provided schemes operate in harmony with the environment, we will continue to support hydro development - large or small - to help tackle climate change and contribute to sustainable economic growth."
Any proposal to build and operate generating stations wholly or mainly driven by water (such as hydroelectric, wave or tidal generating stations) in excess of one Megawatt requires the consent of Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.
In November 2004, Keltneyburn Hydro Ltd applied for consent to construct and operate a run-of-river hydro electric station with a generating capacity of two megawatts on the Keltney Burn in Perthshire. A run of river scheme generates electricity using the elevation and natural flow of a river. Following consultation, an addendum to the application was submitted in April 2007. Perth and Kinross Council has supported this application subject to a noise condition being imposed.
Scottish Government targets are to meet 50 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2020, and an interim target of 31 per cent by 2011. Adding the potential energy from consented renewable projects to those already operating the Government is set to surpass the 2011 target.
The Scottish Government has now determined 19 energy applications since May 2007, including approval for the Clyde wind farm, the largest single consented wind farm in Europe.
The Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit is currently processing 36 renewable project applications, including 10 hydro projects.