Douglas Water Hydroelectric Scheme is located on the north side of Loch Fyne, about 5 km south west of Inveraray in Argyllshire. The 3 megawatt (MW) development is a run of river scheme, utilising the water from Douglas Water itself and the tributary of Allt Fearna.

At 3 MW, the scheme is expected to produce about 10gigawatt-hours(GWh) of energy each year, enough electricity to power about 2,000 homes. As the scheme does not have a storage reservoir, electricity is only produced when river levels are sufficiently high.

Douglas Water comprises the following components:

• Two low profile concrete intake weirs, both fitted with finely spaced screens.
• About 4km of ductile iron pipeline connects the intakes to the powerhouse. This is buried underground to minimise the visual impact on the area.
• A powerhouse, in which the two Pelton turbines which drive the generators are housed.
• Electricity from the scheme feeds into an existing 33kV overhead powerline that runs past the powerhouse.

Construction of the project began in June 2006 and commissioning of the scheme commenced in April 2008.

back

top