4
Power Cavern: Work has now begun on
constructing the concrete structure inside the
cavern, which will house the turbine and generator
plus all the ancillary storerooms, offices and
workshops associated with a modern power station.
As mentioned last month this will take about a year
to complete.
For further information on the project see the official website at
www.glendoe.co.uk
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already receiving them directly
by email and would like to please contact douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or
if you have any questions or concerns about the project you should contact Douglas
Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at 01463741322 or 07770408083 or by
email.
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Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 13 April 2007
Power Cavern: Excellent progress has been made
carving out the cavern and over 60% of the volume
of rock has now been excavated. The picture below
shows staff just beginning to work on the
transformer bay on the right while straight ahead of
them a huge slab of rock awaits their attention.
The next critical stage in the cavern will be to install
the main beam to support the travelling crane,
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1
which will take about 6 weeks to complete. During
this time blasting work in the cavern will necessarily
have to be suspended. The huge beam is made in
situ of reinforced concrete and will be anchored to
the rock face at various points along its 35-metre
length. The crane will be essential for future
maintenance of the heavy equipment in the power
station and will ultimately be rated to lift over 200
tonnes. In the meantime the crane will be used to
complete the final construction of the cavern.
The turbine to be installed as the prime mover to
drive the 100MW generator will be a Pelton turbine
invented by the American, Lester Pelton in the
nineteenth century.
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It works by directing water jets on to buckets and
the resulting impulse spins the turbine. The buckets
are mounted in pairs, to keep the forces on the
wheel balanced, as well as to ensure smooth,
efficient momentum transfer of the water jet to the
wheel. The Pelton wheel is most efficient in high
head applications such as here at Glendoe which
will have over 600 metres from the dam down to the
turbine.
Dam: It is now excavated down to foundation level
along 60% of the dams 1000 metre length. Work
has just begun placing the rockfill to form the
embankment or what most people would recognise
as the actual dam. The rockfill is obtained from a
borrow pit established within the reservoir area
which will eventually be flooded. The picture below
shows the scale of the work here.
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Headrace Tunnel: Boring of the headrace tunnel
continues to exceed target with over 560 metres of
tunnel now completed and Eliza Jane and her
team are well ahead of programme.
Aqueduct Tunnel: Good progress is being made
here as well and the team has now completed over
600 metres from west to east. A second portal was
created last month half way along the 8km tunnel
with this team working back east to west. And now
work is just starting on creating a third portal beside
the new bridge over the Allt Creag Chomaich river
completed last month and this team will also work
from west to east.
Visit to Site: SSE is planning to hold a tour round
the site for interested members of the public on the
afternoon of Tuesday 10 July 2007. Unfortunately
space is limited and for safety reasons the site can
only cope with a maximum of 30 visitors at one
time. However if it is over-subscribed consideration
will be given to holding a similar event later on in
the year. If you would like a place on the tour
please complete and return the attached application
one application per person please -and return it
to the address shown.
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Application to attend SSE open day at Glendoe Hydro Construction Project site,
Fort Augustus on Tuesday 10 July 2007 at 1.30pm
Name . Age ..
(if under 18)
Address .
.
..
Post Code ..
Daytime tel no. ..
Email address ..
Please return completed forms to: Douglas Gilchrist, Glendoe Hydro Construction Project,
Ingleside, Belladrum, Beauly, Inverness IV4 7BA to be received no later than Thursday 31 May
2007
Application to attend SSE open day at Glendoe Hydro Construction Project site,
Fort Augustus on Tuesday 10 July 2007 at 1.30pm
Name . Age ..
(if under 18)
Address .
.
..
Post Code ..
Daytime tel no. ..
Email address ..
Please return completed forms to: Douglas Gilchrist, Glendoe Hydro Construction Project,
Ingleside, Belladrum, Beauly, Inverness IV4 7BA to be received no later than Thursday 31 May
2007
For further information see the official website at
www.glendoe.co.uk
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already receiving them
directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any questions or
concerns about the project you should contact Douglas Gilchrist, the
Community Liaison Officer at 01463 741322 or 07770 408083 or by email.
issue 12 March 2007
Power Cavern: This is where the power station will
be located and already over 85% of the roof of the
cavern has been exposed.
Some idea of the complexity of the cavern can be
gauged from the drawing above which shows a
section through the 30 metre high cavern with the
huge 100MW generator shown (faintly in orange)
sitting on top of the giant turbine. The main access
1
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tunnel completed last month can be seen at the top
left of the drawing.
Road: The temporary road from the dam east over
the plateau has now reached over half way. The
picture below shows work beginning on the bridge
to take the road across the Allt Creag Chomaich
river. This bridge will remain as a permanent fixture
but the road from the west up to it will be removed
once the project is completed.
2
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Headrace Tunnel: Boring of the headrace tunnel
began last month and already the tunnel-boring
machine Eliza Jane has had a record week
completing over 260 metres of tunnel with a
staggering 74 metres in one exceptional day. The
headrace tunnel will be used to feed water down to
drive the turbine. At present Eliza Jane and her
team are well ahead of schedule but there is a long
way to go.
Aqueduct Tunnel: Good progress is being made
here as well with the drill and blast team now over
400 metres in moving from west to east. A second
portal is being created half way along the 8km
tunnel and this team will work east to west.
Dam: Work on the dam continued, but winter
weather has caused some delay. With the coming
of longer daylight hours and improved weather,
progress will improve. Assembly of concrete
batching equipment at the dam site is complete and
this will permit up to 60 cubic meters of concrete to
be made in an hour.
Community Benefit Fund: An agreement has
been signed earlier this month that will enable funds
to be distributed to the local communities. The
Glendoe community fund will provide:
· A £60,000 a year fixed sum.
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A variable sum, which is calculated in relation to
the amount of power the scheme generates each
year.
A separate £300,000 energy efficiency package.
Decisions on how the money is spent will be made
by the Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston Community
Company and Stratherrick and Foyers Community
Trust, who will be supported by the Scottish
Community Foundation, a charity which specialises
in distributing funding such as this.
.
The photograph above shows Rev Dr Adrian
Varwell of Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston
Community Council with Alex Sutherland and JW
Campbell of Stratherrick and Foyers Community
Trust signing the historic document.
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These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 11 February 2007
Tunnels: The tunnel boring machine, Eliza Jane
completed the tailrace tunnel right on schedule at
the end of January and has already moved on to
the longer task of boring the headrace tunnel.
The photograph above shows the route of the steep
6.2km tailrace tunnel as it climbs up to connect with
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2
the dam. The tunnel will take a full year to
complete. Meanwhile the main access tunnel into
the power cavern was completed ahead of schedule
last month.
Power Cavern: Where the tailrace and the access
tunnels meet the huge power cavern will be carved
out inside the mountain.
The picture above shows this work just beginning at
roof level of the cavern. Excavation of the 50 metre
long by 30 metre high by 20 metre wide cavern will
be completed within 6 months and then construction
will commence of the reinforced concrete power
house which will house the 100MW generator and
turbine plus all the ancillary equipment needed in a
modern power station.
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3
Dam: Work on the dam continued last month but
the inevitable snow and frost combined to slow
things down.
The river diversion culvert is making reasonable
progress and is on target for diverting the River
Tarff in the summer. This diversion will allow work
to continue to complete the dam along its full length.
Then once the dam is complete the diversion will be
shut off and the new reservoir filled up ready to
supply water to power the turbine. The diversion
will then be used to provide compensation water
down the river as part of the environmental
provision.
Trials are also well under way testing the rock
produced from the onsite borrow pit, to establish
optimum compaction for construction of the dam
embankment.
Roads: The road from the dam to Intake 8 has now
been completed and is about a quarter of the way
across the plateau where the fourteen river intakes
are situated. It is worth noting that the length of
road from the reservoir area completed to date will
in fact be removed and the ground restored once
the construction phase of the project is complete.
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4
Concrete Batching Plant: A second batching
plant has been established on the site up at the
dam and is capable of producing an impressive 60
cubic metres of concrete an hour. To get some
idea of the scale more than 140,000 cubic metres of
concrete will be needed on the site.
Aqueduct Tunnel: Drilling and blasting of the
aqueduct tunnel continues and just over 250 metres
of the 7 km tunnel have been completed. This
tunnel will be used to feed water from the various
intakes into the reservoir. Each tunnelling squad
can complete up to 50 metres a week. To meet the
programme and complete the tunnel by March next
year engineers will need to employ additional
squads working simultaneously on up to five faces.
For further information see the official website at
www.glendoe.co.uk
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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issue 10 January 2007
Tunnels: Work continued over the Christmas and
New Year holiday period with a skeleton staff but
nevertheless they have made very good progress.
The drilling and blasting of the main access tunnel
will be completed by the middle of this month at
which point work will begin on creating the huge
power cavern which will measure 50 metres long by
20 metres wide by 30 metres high. This will house
the giant turbine and generator. Eliza Jane is not
far behind and should reach the power cavern by
the end of the month. The photograph below
shows the drill for setting the explosives on the
aqueduct tunnel up beyond the dam.
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Internet Conection: Just before Christmas SSE
set up an internet connection available to the public
in the Spar shop attached to the Great Glen Filling
Station in Fort Augustus. No computer expertise is
required as the easy-to-use system employs a
touch-screen system that enables the viewer to
navigate around the site and tap into a wealth of
information about the scheme. The picture below
shows visitor Jean Plater from Buckinghamshire
browsing through the website.
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3
Camp Site: The second camp up at the dam site is
now fully operational and will be able to cater for
over a 100 staff working on the dam, the road and
the aqueduct.
Dam: Work has now begun pouring concrete for
the dam foundation and preparing an area to carry
out tests to establish the degree of compaction of
the rock fill. The photograph below shows the first
pour of concrete.
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Roads: Staff are making excellent progress on the
temporary access road from the dam east across
the plateau. A quarry is currently being established
in the middle of the proposed reservoir to supply the
rock for the road. This road will be used during the
construction of the aqueduct tunnel and pipeline
and also to establish the numerous river intakes.
For further information see the official website at
www.glendoe.co.uk
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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1
Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 9 December 2006
Blessing of the Tunnel Works: Now that work
has begun on all three of the tunnels on the project
a ceremony was held on site on the 4th of
December 2006 to name and bless the tunnels in
the name of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners.
On a wet and windy hillside an audience of over
120 invited guests and staff attended the ceremony
led by Father Michael Savage. Local minister Dr
Adrian Varwell read a passage from the Old
Testament (Job verse 28) followed by Father
Ryszathe Swider who repeated the prayer in Polish.
.
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Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 8 November 2006
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM): Eliza Jane is
getting into her stride and in the last month more
than doubled the length of the tailrace tunnel. Full
commissioning tests are still going on and it will be
another month or so before she is up to full speed.
Nevertheless she has been cutting through an
impressive 100 metres of finished tunnel a week.
Loch
Ness
Tailrace
Outfall
Main
Access
Tunnel
Powerhouse
Cavern
Generator
Pelton wheel
Turbine
U/G
Transformer
HV Cables 100MW LV
BusBars
Power
Tunnel
Max flow rate = 18.7m3/sec
Static Head (604.3m) - Losses
= Net Head
Dam
Intake
tower Reservoir Aqueduct
Glendoe HEP Scheme
Spillway
shaft
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2
Access Tunnel: Drilling and blasting of the access
tunnel is well on target with more than half of the
1200 metre tunnel now excavated. Work will then
begin carving out the power station cavern 250
metres below ground level, which will house the
giant turbine and generator as shown in the
diagram on the previous page.
Aqueduct Tunnel: Meanwhile, at the other end of
the project, work has started on the aqueduct
tunnel, which will ultimately be used to feed water
into the reservoir.
The picture above shows work just beginning to
form the portal, or entrance to the 7km tunnel. The
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3
tunnel is programmed for completion in the spring of
2008.
Dam: Work is well underway excavating down to
the foundation rock along approximately a third of
the length of the 1000 metre dam. The picture
below shows progress on the bottom outlet from the
dam. This is at the base of the dam and will be
used to release water from the reservoir into the
River Tarff (just visible on the right of the picture) on
the rare occasions when it would be necessary to
drain the reservoir.
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Camp Site: Work is also well in hand for the
second camp up near the dam. This will be used to
accommodate staff working on the dam and
aqueduct tunnel. Occupation of the camp will begin
later this month.
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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1
Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 7 October 2006
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM): At the very end of
last month Eliza Jane was finally commissioned
on time and took the first tentative cuts at the rock
face to begin her 6-month journey through the hill to
complete the 2km tailrace tunnel.
The photograph above shows the back of the
machine as it prepares to disgorge the rock spoil on
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2
to the conveyor belt and out to the holding area.
Once she is fully up to speed she is expected to
produce at least 25 metres of finished tunnel every
day.
Also visible on the photograph is the ventilation duct
through which huge fans suck in vital fresh air for
the staff working deep in the tunnel. These fans
have to operate round the clock and so that their
noise isnt a nuisance for people in the surrounding
area they have been located well inside the tunnel.
Hochtief have just taken delivery of the first of
several of these multi service vehicles, which have
been purpose-built to supply equipment and
materials into the tunnel.
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Conveyor Belt: The conveyor belt, which carries
the rock out of the tunnel has also just been
commissioned and will shortly be covered over in its
corrugated iron housing. The photograph below
shows the holding area up behind the main offices
and camp where the rock will be stored before
being used at various locations throughout the site.
Cable Laying: Balfour Beatty have now left site
having completed the first stage of the cable works
but will be back probably towards the end of next
year for the final stage. Meanwhile specialised
contractors will shortly begin excavations to
establish the ground conditions for the cable ducts
under the canal and the River Oich.
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4
Dam: Work on the second camp area up at the
dam site is progressing well with several of the
buildings already up. The camp should be ready for
occupation sometime next month. Over two
hundred staff will eventually be working on the dam
and the associated aqueduct of which a hundred
and twenty or so will be housed in the camp.
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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02.10.06
Kenyan athletes won both the men's and women's marathons at this year's Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running yesterday.
Just eight seconds separated the first and second runners in the men's marathon, which took place along the south side of Loch Ness and on to the Inverness Queens Park Stadium.
Zakary Kihara, of Kenya, beat last year's winner Simon Pride, of Fochabers, into second place with a time of two hours, 22 minutes and 17 seconds.
Mr Pride, who also won the race in 2004, completed the course in two hours, 22 minutes and 25 seconds.
Third was Jamie Reid, of Ronhill, Cambuslang, near Glasgow, in a time of two hours, 24 minutes and four seconds.
A total of 5,600 runners of all ages and abilities took part in the day, sponsored by Baxters Food Group, putting this year's entry about 1,000 up on the previous record.
The full marathon attracted 2,073 runners, while 2,450 took part in the Baxters River Ness 10k Run and there were almost 1,000 entries in the Baxters River Ness 5k Fun Run.
The women's marathon was hotly contested, with Kenya's Hellen Cherono winning in a time of two hours, 46 minutes and 54 seconds. Second was Krystyna Kuta, of Poland, with two hours, 47 minutes and 30 seconds, followed by Jennifer Maclean, of City of Edinburgh Athletic Club, with two hours, 58 minutes and 57 seconds.
Race director Malcolm Sutherland said the event not only attracted elite Scottish, international and club runners, but was massively popular with amateurs, joggers and people running for charity.
Mr Sutherland said: "The event has been an outstanding success and the weather conditions tested all runners?. He said the event also provided a massive boost to the local economy. The most recent figures available show that £958,100 was spent on accommodation, food and activities during the 2004 festival
I am pleased to announce a £20,000.00 upgrade at Loch Ness Gun Club in early October. This is a continuation of facility upgrades including new toilet block, new disabled access ramp to club house and a further £14000.00 of upgarding of equipment over the last year.
This new upgrade is privately financed and is updating one of the Olympic Trap ranges at the ground. This will see only the second such range in Scotland, the other being in Ayrshire. Once completed the range will be completely automatic dispensing with the need of manual operation.
This will significantly add to the facilities we currently have and expect a substantial increase in visitors and competitors to the ground at Bhlaraidh, Glenmoriston.
We will be open this Saturday (23rd) for the Duncan Macdonell Memorial Shoot, 100 DTL and next Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm for a club practice and Saturday (30th) for coaching and practice with ex British Shooting Champion Mike Milne.
Anyone is welcome when we are open and I am only too happy to personally show visitors and locals alike round the facilities.
We will be closed during the month of October but will be open every Saturday from the 4th of November onwards. We also welcome anyone who hasnt shot before to come and give it a try with experienced coaches available every day apart from a Sunday by prior appointment.
For more information I can be contacted on 01320 340341, 07770 800910 or dagillies@hotmail.com. The web address is www.lochnessgunclub.co.uk
Regards
David Gillies
Director
Loch Ness Gun Club Ltd
Achlain Estates Limited
Glenmoriston
Inverness
IV63 7YN
tel: +44 (0) 1320 340341
fax: +44 (0) 1320 340255
email: david@achlainestates.co.uk
website: www.achlainestates.co.uk
1
Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 6 September 2006
Traffic Management: The temporary traffic lights
on the B862 will be removed in the near future and
priority will return to traffic on the B862. There have
however been a number of complaints by residents
that traffic on the B862 and B851 has not only
increased dramatically since the project began but
also the standard of driving has caused concern.
Highland Council has been monitoring the volume
of traffic and will be releasing the figures shortly. In
the meantime Hochtief has written to all their subcontractors
reminding them of their contractual
obligation to use the A82 as the main access to the
site. Hochtief has also erected signs at critical
locations on the B862 and B851 advising there is no
access to the site from these roads.
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM): Work continues
commissioning Eliza Jane and she is expected to
start work in earnest at the end of September.
Progress will depend on rock conditions but she
should be able to get through somewhere in the
region of 25 metres of finished tunnel a day. This
will mean the 2km tailrace tunnel up to the cavern
power station will be finished around March 2007.
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A further 12 months of boring through the mountain
will be needed for the 6km headrace tunnel from the
power station up to the dam.
Conveyor Belt: The huge volume of rock that
Eliza Jane throws out will be taken by conveyor
belt up to the designated disposal area. The rock
will be used for construction and future
maintenance of the roads. Work is well under way
with erecting the conveyor belt and the photograph
below shows the belt as it passes below the B862.
Cable Laying: Balfour Beatty have virtually
completed the first stage of the cable works and will
return in a year or so to install the 132,000 volt
cable from the power station up to the existing
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3
Auchterawe substation. Detailed site investigations
are being carried out to establish the ground
conditions for the cable ducts under the canal and
the River Oich.
Dam: The rock for constructing the dam will be
produced from a quarry currently being created
near the dam site. A second work camp is also
being established here for over a 100 staff who will
be working on the dam and the aqueduct feeding
water into the proposed reservoir. The photograph
below shows progress with the new road up to the
dam site.
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Community Event: This was held on 16 August in
Kilchuimen Academy and over 120 locals visited the
exhibition and heard progress on the project to
date. Afterwards a number stayed on to ask
questions and share in some light refreshments.
The photograph below shows some of those who
attended.
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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1
Glendoe Hydro Electric
issue 5 August 2006
Camp: The move up to the camp is almost
complete with only the canteen to be re-sited, which
should happen by the end of August. Of the 250 or
so staff on site around a 100 are now resident in the
camp. Hochtief operate a bus service for staff from
the camp down to the village.
Blasting: There have been a large number of
complaints about the disturbance the blasting is
causing in the village. Hochtief have explained that
they try whenever possible not to blast between
11.00pm and 7.00am. However unfortunately there
are occasions when it is not possible to avoid these
times. When the charges have been set and there
is a delay (for example because of a miss-fire) then
they have no alternative for safety and other
reasons but to carry through with the operation.
The good news is that this particular blasting
programme will be finished by mid August.
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Traffic Management: Work on the B862 from the
bridge just beyond the Abbey up to the site
entrance has now been completed. The road
verges have been strengthened and a 30mph
speed limit introduced between the camp entrance
and beyond the entrance to the access tunnel. In
addition some of the ditches have been cleared to
improve drainage and also undergrowth has been
cut back to improve sight lines.
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM): Eliza Jane has
now been delivered to site and is currently being
assembled ready to start drilling the tailrace tunnel
in September. The huge scale of the machine can
be grasped from the recent photograph below
where the two men on top of it can just be made
out.
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A large white gantry crane has also been
assembled, which is visible from across Loch Ness
and will be used to load heavy materials and
equipment on to special multi-service vehicles to
supply Eliza Jane. This crane, shown in the
photograph below, will be removed when the tunnel
is complete.
Installation of the conveyor belt, which will be used
to take the spoil from Eliza Jane up to the storage
area behind the camp is also under way and will be
ready to go for the end of August.
Cable Laying: As mentioned in last months
bulletin this first stage of the cable laying
programme is almost complete. However during
August a detailed site investigation will be carried
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out to establish the ground conditions for the cable
ducts under the canal and the River Oich.
Dam: Trial pits have now been excavated to
establish the foundation conditions for the dam,
which will be laid in August. The new road up to the
dam site is almost finished and survey work is
under way for the tunnels and aqueduct to supply
the reservoir.
Community Event: This has been planned for
Wednesday, 16 August, starting at 5pm at
Kilchuimen Academy. There will be an exhibition,
followed by a presentation at around 7.30pm and
the event will conclude with a canapι reception
from 8pm. The event will be widely publicised
locally and all local people will be welcome to
attend.
Communication: Hochtief have created a 24 hour
Emergency Hotline
Tel: 01456 450950 or if out of hours please call:
07867 973 926 or 07717 574 289
These updates are issued monthly and if you are not already
receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact
douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any
questions or concerns about the project you should contact
Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at
01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email
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Glendoe Hydro Electric Bulletin
issue 4 July 2006
Camp: Some of the workforce have moved up to the camp and this will continue throughout the coming weeks. The move could however be delayed because of a problem with the building warrant.
Recruitment: Hochtief took part in a Meet the Buyer workshop at the end of June. This was organised by Highlands & Islands Enterprise and enabled over 40 local contractors and suppliers to pitch their wares.
Blasting: Surface blasting is now complete at the tailrace tunnel with the tunnel itself now reaching nearly 100 metres into the hillside. A large blast at 4.00am in the morning towards the end of June caused a number of complaints. The blast was exceptionally loud because it was at the point where the access and tailrace tunnels meet and so there was effectively double the size of blast expelled from the access tunnel.
Cable Laying: Balfour Beatty Power Networks have completed the first stage of 33,000 volt and 11,000 volt cable laying i.e. from the Golf Course up to the site. The reinstatement of the track will be completed by mid July. The second stage will be to install ducts from the Golf Course up to the existing substation at Auchteraw, which should be complete by mid September. The crossing underneath the canal will be done using a directional drilling technique. Next year Balfour Beatty will return to install the 132,000 volt cable from the site through the ducts to Auchteraw
Traffic Management: Part of the B862 road from the bridge up to the site has been widened to ease traffic congestion and will be tarred in early July. Once the road has been white-lined it should provide route for pedestrians.
Communication:
SSE are currently exploring setting up a dedicated website within the village and some way to make it available to visitors and residents alike.
An A5 size 16-page colour brochure is also being published which will be available to visitors and residents to take away and will explain the project.
Preparations are also under way for a visit to the site early in August. The invitation will be extended to all members of the local communities who will be able to meet members of the project team along with representatives of the Scottish Community Foundation who it is hoped will help with distribution of the Community Benefit Fund. Members of SSEs energy efficiency team will also be on hand to offer advice. At that time it is expected that the huge tunnel boring machine (TBM) will have been assembled and it may be possible for a lucky few to get a trip down to see it. The TBM has been named Eliza Jane following a competition among Kilchuimen Primary School pupils.
Site Works: The new road up to the site of the dam is well under way and work on the dam itself is due to begin in August. The 33/11kV transformer was installed in mid-June and is currently undergoing tests prior to commissioning. The transformer will be used to supply power into the site but once the power station comes on stream in 2009 will be used to support the village distribution network and should ultimately allow removal of Markethill substation on the burial ground road.
These updates will be issued monthly and if you are not already receiving them directly by email and would like to please contact douglas.gilchrist1@btopenworld.com or if you have any questions or concerns about the project you should contact Douglas Gilchrist, the Community Liaison Officer at 01463741322 or 07770408083 or by email