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ASH design + assessment was appointed to co-ordinate the environmental statement and provide environmental advice on the 3.5MW Chonais hydroelectric scheme, located near the village of Achnasheen in the north of Scotland.
The run of river scheme would comprise: a main intake on the Allt a' Chonais; a minor intake 300m downstream of this; and a short section of tunnel and a buried pipeline to convey the water from the intakes to a powerhouse.
The final design of the hydroelectric scheme came as a result of rigorous environmental impact assessment and discussions with landowners and key consultees. The design changed significantly throughout this time, including the consideration of a much larger storage scheme involving the creation of a reservoir. The final hydroelectric scheme design was considered the most acceptable in terms of minimising environmental impact.
Chonais Hydroelectric Scheme Development
ASH's input into the development of the Chonais Hydroelectric Scheme included:
- Consultations with statutory and other bodies
- Co-ordination of specialist consultants (ecologists, ornithologists, archaeologists and hydrologists)
- Provision of in-house specialist advice on landscape and visual aspects, planning, landscape mitigation and environmental enhancements
- Research and site surveys
- Environmental / scoping review of the scheme and its alternatives
- Scheme design and detailed design of various hydroelectric scheme components
- Environmental Impact Assessment
The planning application for the Chonais Hydroelectric Scheme was submitted in March 2007.
