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Galloway and Lanark Hydro Schemes

Lanark - Falls of ClydeEnergy Wholesale’s two hydro-electric schemes, at Lanark and Galloway in the south of Scotland, are the company’s oldest generating sites.

Although their combined output is relatively small, the schemes have proven to be reliable, flexible generators of clean, renewable electricity and valuable assets in ScottishPower’s generating portfolio.

The Galloway Hydros, commissioned in the mid 1930s, was the first large-scale integrated hydro-electric complex to be built in Britain for the purpose of public electricity supply.

The scheme covers a large area in Galloway and South Ayrshire and consists of six power stations with an installed capacity of 109 MW, eight dams plus a network of tunnels, aqueducts and pipelines. Glenlee Power Station, near St John’s Town of Dalry, is the nerve centre of the scheme and can operate other stations via remote controls.

The Lanark Hydros on the banks of the River Clyde in Lanarkshire dates back to 1926 and is believed to be the oldest hydro-electric plant in the UK electricity industry.

The two stations, Bonnington (11 MW) and Stonebyres (6 MW), were developed by the Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company to meet demand for electricity in Lanarkshire after the First World War. The stations are powered by three waterfalls, collectively known as the Falls of Clyde.

The Lanark and Galloway Hydro-electric Schemes operate under licences issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to implement the requirements of the Water Framework Directive.

Both schemes employ an Environmental Management System certified to the standard ISO 14001 and operate a biodiversity action plan (BAP).

For further information, see the site environment management section and our downloads: