A 2.5km pipe transfers water from the intake to the powerhouse. This vertical drop, known as the 'Gross Head' of the project is 214m. The pipeline is made of two different materials - in the upper, low-pressure section HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) is used. In the lower, high-pressure section Glass-fibre Reinforced Plastic (GRP) is used. A Gilkes Twin Jet Pelton turbine is used, operating at a design flow of 1,000 l/s. This turbine is an impulse type turbine which is optimised for high-head applications and provides high efficiency across the full range of flows.
Initial feasibility work first started in 2008. Planning permission and SEPA license were received in early 2011 and construction started in earnest in May 2012. The lead civil contractor was DA MacDonald from Lochgilphead. The project started generating in January 2014 and was delivered on time and budget.
- Commissioning date: January 2014
- Location: Loch Awe
- Turbine: Twin Jet Pelton
- Intake type: Alpine
- Gross head: 214.4m
- Catchment area: 8.1km²
- Maximum turbine flow: 1m³
- Maximum output: 1,900kW
- Pipeline length: 2.5km
