Co-Hydrover Ltd. and Partners are studying the possibility of operating two additional hydro electric projects in Ardentinny, i.e., at the Coull Burn and Old School Burn, the latter being the burn beside the village car park and presumably so-called because of its proximity to the original Old School, i.e., Glencairn Cottage.
Regarding The Coull Burn Project, the contractor, Robert Brakes who was also representing his project partner Co-Hydrover, recently met with members of the Village Hall Committee along with Dougie Menzies, Chair of Ardentinny Renewables Trust. The object of the meeting was to discuss the possibility of erecting a pole on village hall land in exchange for a cheaper electricity tariff for the hall.
The turbine would be situated on Forestry Commission land, for which they will receive 20% of the project’s profits and the proposal is to connect to the grid by bringing an underground cable across the road and connecting it to a pole to be erected on village hall ground. In exchange, the hall will receive a reduced electricity tariff while the turbine is running, as will proprietors of other property through which the cable runs.
It is anticipated that the turbine will run 10 months of the year with the electricity supply automatically reverting to the existing tariff during the remaining two months of July and August. In addition, and in line with the existing Baron Turner scheme, Ardentinny community will receive 5% of the profits per annum, paid through Ardentinny Renewables Trust. It is also expected that this percentage could rise to as much as 11% in the future.
The Old School Burn scheme has not yet been agreed but would potentially provide a similar electricity tariff to Ardentinny Outdoor Centre along with the percentage profit to the community.
To qualify for the Feed In Tariff (FIT) scheme the projects require pre-accreditation before the end of March 2019. This entails obtaining Planning Permission; a licence from SEPA; and a grid connection offer from SSE. The Hall committee agreed in principle to the proposal on condition that the details of this non-binding agreement are received in writing. Robert Brakes is happy for residents to contact him for further information.
Download Schoolhouse Burn Hydro-Electric Development Site map (PDF).
