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Cairngorms

Two more hydro schemes in the Cairngorms National Park get planning permission

13th September 2013

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has given the go-ahead for two more hydro schemes, helping to promote the Cairngorms National Park’s aim to be a low carbon economy.

The schemes at Glen Prosen in Angus and Glenfernate in Perthshire are both small scale run-of-river schemes. The Glen Prosen project will feed into the national grid, while at Glenfernate, the hydro scheme is off-grid and will provide power to a remote shooting lodge, shepherd’s cottages and self-catering accommodation.

These two approvals at the CNPA Planning Committee in Kingussie today (Friday 13 September) follow the granting of planning permission earlier this year for a hydro scheme on the Balmoral Estate and at Blair Castle and last year for a hydro project at Bruar.

Murray Ferguson, the CNPA’s director of Sustainable Rural Development said: “Our planning team are dealing with a steady flow of these types of developments – both pre-application discussions and working through submitted applications – for a range of small scale renewable energy schemes but particularly hydro projects.

“We are very supportive of renewable projects in the Park that are appropriate in scale and character. Not only do they contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of the Cairngorms National Park and the aim of using our resources sustainably, but rural businesses are seeing economic gains by investing in renewable projects.”

Find out more about the Glen Prosen and Glenfernate hydro projects