Chaorach Hydro Scheme Authorised

The abstraction of up to 123,206 m3/day of water from the Allt Chaorach and its tributaries was approved by SEPA after discussions with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Fisheries Committee and the Tay District Salmon Fishery Board.

Since April 2006, any abstraction from the water environment needs to be authorised by SEPA under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005.

The licence issued by SEPA has conditions which require appropriate mitigation measures to be incorporated into the scheme design to ensure the protection of the ecology of the Allt Chaorach. The Chaorach is a tributary of the River Dochart, itself part of the Tay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and so an appropriate assessment was carried out by SEPA to ensure the scheme did not have an adverse impact on the salmon populations. Any hydroelectric scheme that will produce more than one MW is also required to be approved by the Scottish Government.

Colin Bayes, Director of Environmental Protection and Improvement said: "The Scottish Government has set a target to meet 50 per cent of electricity demand from renewables by 2020, and an interim target of 31 per cent by 2011. This scheme, along with the other 25 that SEPA has licenced since April 2006, has created a network capable of providing clean, renewable energy to around 91,000 homes in Scotland. "SEPA requires the design and operation of hydropower schemes to be such that their impact on the water environment is minimised. We are also working jointly with stakeholders to produce additional guidance to support the application for an authorisation. We expect to provide this early in 2009"