Eureka! Archimedes screw powers back after 70-year break

Published on Friday 1 April 2011 16:24

A HISTORIC hydro-electric scheme once used to power a sanatorium is be revived by a Highland community after 70 years.

Kingussie Community Development Company was yesterday given the go-ahead by the Cairngorms National Park Authority to redevelop the 100-year-old scheme on the Gynack Burn.

The 180,000 project will use the Archimedes Screw method, a system that has been used since ancient times to lift water to higher levels.

Remains of the old scheme, which was last used in the 1930s, are visible less than a mile upstream of the point where the main street in Kingussie crosses the burn.

It originally provided power for St Vincent's Sanatorium to the south, and a plaque has been erected to explain the link between the old scheme and St Vincent's.

The electricity from the new scheme will be fed to the national grid and the community is set to receive income of about 15,000 a year to fund other local projects.

The development has already attracted 93,765 European funding, as well as lottery cash.

Duncan Bryden, CNPA planning committee convener, said: "This scheme will be a huge asset to the people of Kingussie, generating enough electricity annually to power 15 average houses.

"They should be congratulated for doing their bit for their community and the environment and I'm excited to see how the income they generate will be used to carry out more projects in the area."

Planning officer Andrew Tait added: "The CNPA is very supportive of renewable energy schemes like this one where the scale is appropriate to the location.

"The people of Kingussie have a history of generating power from this river, so plans for a hydro scheme at the same site will enhance this cultural link.

"Surveys carried out at the site show the scheme should have a minimal impact on wildlife in the area.

"Conditions have been attached to the permission to ensure salmon and mammals are protected and there is minimal disruption to anyone who enjoys walking or canoeing."

Donnie Grant, chairman of the development company, said it is hoped work will start early next month.

He added: "The income will be very useful for the community. We have a large path network that continually needs maintenance and we will also be able to help other groups in the town."

The hydro plant was one of two on the Gynack Burn which was at the heart of the 4th Duke of Gordon's plans to build a new town at Kingussie when the water was used to power a number of mills producing flax, flour and wool.

Meanwhile, the park planning committee has decided to object to a proposed 26-turbine wind farm earmarked for a site about a mile outside its boundary.

The plan, by Eurus Energy Ltd, is for a site at Glenkirk, located 3.7 miles north of Carrbridge.

Mr Tait said he was concerned the scenic area's "sense of wildness" is being harmed by a growing number of wind turbines now operational or in the planning stages around the national park.