Kinlochleven hydroelectric scheme

Kinlochleven Hydroelectric Scheme
Power house with penstocks behind
Map
CountryScotland, UK
LocationKinlochleven, Highland
Coordinates56°42′46″N 4°57′29″W / 56.71278°N 4.95806°W / 56.71278; -4.95806
StatusOperational
Construction began1904
Commission date1907–1909 (refurbished 1996-2000)
Power generation
Units operational3 × 10 MW
Make and modelGilkes Francis turbines
Units decommissioned11 × 2 MW (DC) Escher Wyss (Zürich) Pelton

The Kinlochleven hydroelectric scheme was built between 1905 and 1909 to supply power for an Aluminium smelter owned by British Aluminium. It was the second in Scotland after the 1896 Falls of Foyers scheme. The smelter and power house were constructed on the south bank of the River Leven in the village of Kinlochleven, in the south-west of the Scottish Highlands.

The Blackwater Reservoir was formed by constructing a mass concrete gravity dam over ½ mile (800 m) across the Blackwater, the main tributary of the River Leven, with a catchment area of 60 square miles (160 km2). Water is conveyed along a covered concrete conduit 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long, which also collects water from three side stream intakes. The water descends 935 feet (285 m) from the valve house to the power house via six steel pipes.

Power was originally generated by 11 Pelton wheel turbines and three auxiliary sets, with a total capacity of 25,725 kW. These were replaced between 1996 and 2001 by Gilkes, who installed three 10 MW Francis turbines.[1]

The aluminium smelter closed in 2000,[2] but the power station continues to export power via the National Grid to the Lochaber smelter in Fort William, via an upgraded 132 kV overhead line.

The downstream face of a concrete dam stretching off into the distance, with choppy water in the reservoir behind. To the right is a damp rocky spillway with scrubby trees at the edge of the image. In the distance two mountains are just visible through the haze
The Blackwater Dam overflowing with excess water.
Looking down grassy hillside at six large black metal pipes, which pass through concrete blocks. The pipe sections are bolted together, with a small amount leaking out and spraying upwards at one joint
The six steel penstocks and associated thrust blocks just upstream of the power house
  1. ^ "Hydroelectric smelting plant gets an upgrade". World Pumps. 2001 (418): 15–16. July 2001. doi:10.1016/s0262-1762(01)80279-0. ISSN 0262-1762.
  2. ^ Bell, Alex (28 May 2000). "Electric village refuses to die as plant closes". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 18 May 2024.