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Scottish hydropower scheme approved

12 December 2008

A hydropower scheme that is expected to generate enough renewable electricity for the equivalent of 2,000 households has received planning permission.

The 3.54 megawatt run-of-river facility will be powered by the River Glass in the north of Scotland.

It will be npower renewable's largest hydropower scheme and is expected to generate on average more than ten gigawatt hours of electricity a year.

The Scottish government granted permission for the scheme, which will take water from the river and return it further downstream.

It will only operate when there is enough water naturally present in the river.

Alasdair MacNiven, developer of the Black Rock Hydro Scheme, said: "We are very pleased that this project has been given consent in such a timely fashion by the Scottish Government, demonstrating that the Section 36 planning system and the new water licensing regime can be co-ordinated together effectively."

According to the British Hydropower Association, hydroelectricity accounts for 40 per cent of the UK's renewable energy capacity.

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Author: Administrator User