THE River Ness hydro project is marking a major milestone with the installation of the stainless-steel envelope for the 92kW Archimedes Screw hydroelectric scheme.
Located on the banks of the River Ness, directly adjacent to the Holm Mills bridge, the project is designed to generate over 500,000 kwh of green electricity annually to the nearby Inverness Leisure Centre.
The River Ness Hydro will be officially named in January 2022 following a naming competition involving Highland school pupils.
Councillor Trish Robertson, chair of the climate change working group, said, “We are delighted to see the continued progress of the Archimedes Screw project. This will offset the organisation’s reliance on grid supplied electricity and also help reduce the councils carbon footprint.
“This is a flagship project for sustainability which is utilising historical infrastructure from a disused hydro scheme and using the surrounding area to create a destination. The innovative structure and supporting interactive content will ensure the scheme is a welcome addition to a high footfall area of the city, further strengthening the river as an attraction and re-introducing it as valued asset for renewable generation.”
Project manager Martin MacDonald added, “This is obviously a massive milestone for the project. The envelope looks fantastic, and the surrounding landscaping and interpretive content is starting to take shape. The contractors have been absolutely first class and we are already getting great feedback from the public on the new addition to the river. We can’t wait to open the site to the public in 2022 and hopefully help inspire the next generation of engineers in Highland.”
