Securing a bright future for hydro power

ALEX Salmond, the First Minister, was on hand at the new 100-megawatt hydroelectric power station site at Glendoe, near Fort Augustus, yesterday, as the plant's dam was finally plugged. When Glendoe starts generating power next year, it will be the first large-scale hydro station to be completed in half a century. Mr Salmond's visit was meant to underline his commitment to developing a new generation of renewable power plants in Scotland and his strategy of turning Scotland into a ma

The question arises: why has Scotland turned its back on hydroelectric power for the past 50 years? In Norway, 99 per cent of electricity is generated using hydro power; in Scotland, the figure is nearer 12 per cent. Yet, unlike many other intermitte...