New finance confirmed for Lochaber community hydropower scheme

The development of a high-head (142m) hydropower scheme on the Barr River near Loch Teacuis in Lochaber has secured a new finance arrangement from Triodos Bank UK and the Scottish Investment Bank.Once installed, the scheme is expected to have a 1.6MW capacity and to generate approximately 4,269,000 kWh each year – enough to power over 1000 homes. It will take approximately 14 months to build and is expected to operate for at least 50 years.The community has been exploring the potential for a shared-ownership hydropower scheme since 2013. Now this new finance will help with the construction and operation of the hydropower scheme by MorVolts Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Morvern Community Development Company (MCDC), a registered charity that aims to benefit the community of Morvern. A total of £6.49 million of funding has been secured for the project, made up of a £4.26m Triodos Bank loan and £2.23m from the Energy Investment Fund, which is administered by the Scottish Investment Bank on behalf of the Scottish Government.Many different groups have come together to make this work, including the Scottish Government, Scottish Investment Bank and Forestry Land Scotland.