Crowds treated to anniversary open day at Kingussie Hyro Plant
Kingussie has celebrated 10 years of generating electricity - and £100k for community projects - through its own hydro plant.
Created by the town’s community development company, the power station runs on water supplied by the River Gynack on the higher slopes of the Badenoch capital and has proved a stunning success.
More than 80 people were treated to a guided tour on Saturday during a special open day event, many of them staying for a heartening bowl of soup cooked at the golf club on power supplied by the plant.
As chair of the KCDC, Catriona Morrison, explailned: “The hydro project kicked off back in 2015, thanks to the vision and determination of the late Donnie Grant who was KCDC’s first Chair and an incredible advocate for the environment and the local community.
“It’s been a team effort from the start, with local volunteers managing the hydro commissioning and construction. That same volunteer spirit is still alive and well.
“KCDC volunteers handle everything from maintenance to daily operations at the hydro. If you’re ever near the hydro bridge, take a moment to look down at the river - you might just spot some locals hard at work. And if you stop for a quick chat, who knows? You might even end up joining in!”
Hydropower has been part of the Gynack’s story for decades. The current scheme uses the old weir from a hydro plant that powered St. Vincent’s Hospital in the 1920s. Today’s setup generates roughly 40,000 kWh of renewable energy per year.
Some of that powers Kingussie Golf Club, while the surplus gets fed into the national grid.
The income generated from the Hydro goes straight back into the community through KCDC’s Hydro Grant Fund. Over the last ten years, this has supported local groups and projects around Kingussie including Kingussie Camanachd Club, Kingussie High School , Roots and Shoots Highland, The Iona Gallery, Kingussie Primary School Parent Council, Kingussie Food on Film and many more. Feel free to check out our website if your local group could use a little funding for a community project.
