Storr Lochs Generating Station
GB232_RAMSAY_D893_1_6_010
Storr Lochs
Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre
hydro-electric
cable railway
This photograph shows a busy work site on the shores of Bearreraig Bay on northeast Skye where the generating station, pipeline and railway for the Storr Lochs hydro-electric project are all under construction. In the foreground concrete blocks create the supports where the pipeline will be positioned running to the generating station. A large metal gantry has been put on a flatbed platform which moves on the inclined cable railway running from the crest of the hill 350 feet above. Sections of pipe and other materials would be brought down the steep hill by this method. In the early stages it was proposed that materials could be brought in by landing craft but the vessels proved unstable in the strong tides and everything had to be brought to site overland.
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board received permission to construct a dam and power station at Storr Lochs on the Isle of Skye in 1949. The project combined the waters of Loch Fada and Loch Leathan in the Storr Lochs reservoir, with the generating house below on Bearreraig Bay. Construction began in early 1950, and was commissioned in May 1952. Before this a number of houses in the Broadford area had electricity via underwater cable from Kyle of Lochalsh, sourced at Nostie Bridge power station. In Portree, the Royal Hotel had a small diesel generator which provided some street lighting and a few houses with electricity, while most hotels and some larger houses had their own generators.
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was established under the Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943. Thomas Johnston presented the Act in the House of Commons, declaring that by harnessing 'the great latent power of the region' it would assist in remedying the ills that affected the Highlands. Johnston told the Commons that 'industries, whether owned nationally or privately, will be and ought to be, attracted to locations in the Highlands, as a result of this measure'.
Ordinary consumers would have priority, then the anticipated large power users, and any surplus energy would be sold to the national grid. Profits from these sales would help reduce distribution costs to more remote areas, and assist in carrying out measures for the economic development and social improvement of the Highlands. This famous social clause gave recognition that the Hydro Board was envisaged as an instrument for the rehabilitation of northern Scotland, not just an organization to provide electricity.
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For further information about purchasing and prices please email
Skye and Lochalsh Archives
William J Ramsay Archive
Storr Lochs; hydro-electric; gantry; cable railway
This photograph shows a busy work site on the shores of Bearreraig Bay on northeast Skye where the generating station, pipeline and railway for the Storr Lochs hydro-electric project are all under construction. In the foreground concrete blocks create the supports where the pipeline will be positioned running to the generating station. A large metal gantry has been put on a flatbed platform which moves on the inclined cable railway running from the crest of the hill 350 feet above. Sections of pipe and other materials would be brought down the steep hill by this method. In the early stages it was proposed that materials could be brought in by landing craft but the vessels proved unstable in the strong tides and everything had to be brought to site overland.<br /> <br /> The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board received permission to construct a dam and power station at Storr Lochs on the Isle of Skye in 1949. The project combined the waters of Loch Fada and Loch Leathan in the Storr Lochs reservoir, with the generating house below on Bearreraig Bay. Construction began in early 1950, and was commissioned in May 1952. Before this a number of houses in the Broadford area had electricity via underwater cable from Kyle of Lochalsh, sourced at Nostie Bridge power station. In Portree, the Royal Hotel had a small diesel generator which provided some street lighting and a few houses with electricity, while most hotels and some larger houses had their own generators.<br /> <br /> The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was established under the Hydro-Electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943. Thomas Johnston presented the Act in the House of Commons, declaring that by harnessing 'the great latent power of the region' it would assist in remedying the ills that affected the Highlands. Johnston told the Commons that 'industries, whether owned nationally or privately, will be and ought to be, attracted to locations in the Highlands, as a result of this measure'.<br /> <br /> Ordinary consumers would have priority, then the anticipated large power users, and any surplus energy would be sold to the national grid. Profits from these sales would help reduce distribution costs to more remote areas, and assist in carrying out measures for the economic development and social improvement of the Highlands. This famous social clause gave recognition that the Hydro Board was envisaged as an instrument for the rehabilitation of northern Scotland, not just an organization to provide electricity. <br /> <br /> <br /> This image can be purchased.<br /> For further information about purchasing and prices please email<br /> <a href= "mailto: skyeandlochalsh.archives@highlifehighland.com" >Skye and Lochalsh Archives</a>