An 860m pipe transfers water from the intake to the powerhouse. This vertical drop, known as the 'Gross Head' of the project is 233m. The pipeline is made of Ductile Iron (DI) throughout its entire length. A Gilkes Twin-Jet Pelton solution is used, operating at a design flow of 259 l/s. This turbine is an impulse type turbine which is optimised for high-head, low-to-medium-flow applications and provides high efficiency at peak power.
Initial feasibility work first started in 2009. Planning permission and SEPA license were received in late 2013 and construction mobilization started in May 2014. The lead civil contractor was DA MacDonald, an experienced civil contractor based locally in Lochgilphead.
The project started generating in July 2015 and was delivered on time and on budget.
- Commissioning date: July 2015
- Location: Loch Eck, Argyll
- Turbine: Twin Jet Pelton
- Intake type: Alpine
- Gross head: 233m
- Catchment area: 3.2km²
- Maximum turbine flow: 259 l/s
- Maximum output: 500kW
- Pipeline length: 0.86km
