KGAL Fluid SUMMER 2026 - Flipbook - Page 3
consulting engineers
Hydro Progress in Scotland
Balancing legacy infrastructure with modern environmental demands
The challenge isn9t building new infrastructure, it9s adapting what already exists to meet today9s environmental
standards, without compromising the integrity of assets that have been in service for nearly a century.
Many of Scotland9s hydro schemes, constructed between the 1930s and 1950s, rely
on extensive aqueduct networks. These systems were designed to capture and
transfer water across catchments into reservoirs, forming the backbone of
hydroelectric generation that still operates today. At that time, provisions for üsh
passage, particularly for salmon, were built in, but expectations have moved on.
remote, often inaccessible locations, with some only accessible by foot. All sit within
environmentally sensitive areas, one of which is located within The Flow Country,
a World Heritage Site, where the margin for disruption is eûectively zero.
SSE and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have been working
together to add new controlled compensation ýows into watercourses that would
otherwise remain dry for much of the year.
KGAL designed a series of stainless-steel V-notch weir boxes, tailored to handle a
range of ýow conditions while providing accurate, reportable data. These
installations allow ýows to be measured and veriüed, ensuring compliance with
SEPA requirements without overcomplicating maintenance in challenging terrain.
This is where complexity starts to stack up.
KGAL has been working with SSE over the past year to develop and implement
compliant solutions across multiple sites. On paper, it9s about releasing and
measuring water ýows. On the ground, it9s something else entirely. These are
The solution needed to be robust, repeatable, and precise.
Progress is steady. Three sites are currently under construction, with a fourth
scheduled to commence in May. At one location, work has been temporarily paused
due to nesting golden eagles. A reminder that on projects like this, engineering
doesn9t dictate the timeline. The landscape does.
Aulich Intake diverts water to Rannoch Power Station, before it passes through Tummel,
Clunie and Pitlochry Power Stations en route to the River Tay.
Chuil Intake is one of three intakes feeding an aqueduct to Loch Shin and Shin Power Station,
located within the Flow Country World Heritage Site in Sutherland.
Allt Bhran Intake feeds water to Loch Ericht via Loch an t-Seilich, Loch Cuaich and
Cuaich Power Station, before it continues through the Rannoch, Tummel, Clunie and
Pitlochry hydropower cascade to the River Tay.
Chronin Idir Intake feeds water to Loch Fannich, the upper reservoir for Grudie Bridge Power Station,
before it continues through Luichart and Tor Achilty Power Stations to the River Conon
