The Sloy/Awe Hydro-Electric Scheme is a

hydro-electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

facility situated between Loch Sloy and

Inveruglas Inveruglas ( gd, Inbhir Dhubhghlais) is a hamlet on the west shore of Loch Lomond, fairly near the north end of the loch and is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It is situated on the A82 trunk road, connecting Glasgow to ...

on the west bank of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

in Scotland. The scheme was conceived by the Edinburgh architects Tarbolton & Ochterlony. Following

Matthew Ochterlony Sir Matthew Montgomery Ochterlony FRIBA (28 February 1880 – 4 October 1946) was a 20th century Scottish baronet and architect. He largely received commissions for large villas for monied friends, but in later years did much work for the Ep ...

's death in 1946, the scheme was progressed alone by

Harold Tarbolton Harold Ogle Tarbolton FRIBA (1869–1947) was a 19th/20th century British architect, mainly working in Scotland. He was affectionately known as Tarrybreeks. In later life he went into partnership with Sir Matthew Ochterlony to create Tarbolt ...

. Construction began in May 1945, under the auspices of the

North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1943–1990) was founded to design, construct and manage hydroelectricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland. It is regarded as one of the major achievements of Scottish politician Thomas Johnston, w ...

and was completed in 1949. The official opening ceremony took place on 18 October 1950 and was attended by Queen Elizabeth. The project claimed a new British small tunnelling record January 1951, after a distance of 278 ft was bored over a period of seven days.

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...

has designated the

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

power-station building and the dam as listed buildings of categories A and B respectively. Twenty-one men lost their lives during the construction. The labour force also included some German prisoners-of-war. The facility is operated by

Scottish and Southern Energy SSE plc (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy plc) is a multinational energy company headquartered in Perth, Scotland Perth (Scottish English, locally: ; gd, Peairt ) is a city in central Scotland, on the banks of the River Tay. It is th ...

, and is normally in standby mode, ready to generate electricity to meet sudden peaks in demand. It can reach full capacity within 5 minutes from a standing start.

References

External links

Arrochar heritage website article
Hydroelectric power stations in Scotland Buildings and structures in Argyll and Bute Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Category B listed buildings in Argyll and Bute 1950 in Scotland {{UK-powerstation-stub