I have followed this project over recent months and it was good to see how it progressed and took this shot earlier today.

The idea was to provide a green energy project to help with Highland Council’s aim to become more carbon neutral.

The council was really good in providing regular updates and photos as it was being built and it was good to see that progress was being made.

I quite like the design – which has already been Christened locally as the “Armadillo” – and I will definitely be revisiting the site once they remove the security fencing.

Pupils to name river scheme

HIGHLAND Council is inviting youngsters from across the region to name a new hydroelectric generator and visitor experience on the River Ness in Inverness.

The generator uses an Archimedes Screw to harness the energy of the water flowing down the waterway.

The building and the interactive visitor experience are being developed to inspire people and the council is inviting school pupils from across the Highlands to design a poster and think up a name which captures the main themes of the hydro project – sustainability, renewable energy, climate change and STEM learning.

The competition is open to any pupil or group of pupils from Highland primary or secondary schools, and after-school or extracurricular clubs can also take part.

Councillor John Finlayson, the chairman of the council’s education committee, said: “This exciting new hydro project will serve as a flagship for the Highland Council’s response to climate change. It will be operating for many years to come so we are looking to our young people to get creative.”

Pupils have until this Friday to enter by sending their poster and suggested name, as a document, pdf or photo.

From the Caithness Courier on Wednesday, November 3, 2021.

Delivery for River Ness hydro site

TWO integral components of an Inverness green energy project have arrived on site.

Highland Council took delivery of two huge Archimedes Screws on Tuesday.

They arrived at the site where the local authority is building a new hydroelectric generator on the River Ness near Whin Park.

It will use the Archimedes Screws to harness the energy of the water flowing down the river to produce electricity.

Highland primary and secondary pupils had until today to enter a competition to design a poster and name the ambitious building and interactive visitor experience.

The aim was to capture the main themes of the hydro project: sustainability, renewable energy, climate change and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning.

The competition was open to any pupil or group of pupils from Highland primary or secondary schools.

The council’s education committee chairman John Finlayson said: “This exciting new hydro project will serve as a flagship for the Highland Council’s response to climate change and will be operating for many years to come so we are looking to our young people to get creative.

“It is quite a challenge to find a fitting name and poster design that captures the essence of this ambitious project, but I have every confidence in the talents of our pupils.”

It is due to be fully commissioned by March 2022.

From The Inverness Courier on Friday, November 5, 2021.

River Ness generator takes shape

A GREEN energy scheme in Inverness is starting to take shape.

The hydro project on the River Ness has had a frame added at the site.

Last month Highland Council took delivery of two huge Archimedes Screws.

They will be used for the new hydroelectric generator and interactive visitor experience.

The generator will use the Archimedes Screws to harness the energy of the water flowing down the waterway.

From the Highland News on Thursday, December 16, 2021.

Milestone for hydro project

A STAINLESS steel envelope for a hydroelectric scheme is being installed marking another significant milestone for the project.

Situated on the banks of the River Ness, directly next to the Holm Mills bridge, this Archimedes Screw project will generate and supply more than 500,000kwh of green electricity annually.

It will power the nearby Inverness Leisure – one of the highest consuming buildings across the Highland Council estate.

The council’s climate change working group chairwoman Trish Robertson said: “We are delighted to see the continued progress of the Archimedes Screw project. This will offset the organisation’s reliance on grid-supplied electricity and also help reduce the council’s carbon footprint.

“This is a flagship project for sustainability which is utilising historical infrastructure from a disused hydro scheme and using the surrounding area to create a destination.”

Project manager Martin MacDonald agreed it was a massive milestone for the project and thought it looked fantastic as it gradually took shape.

From The Inverness Courier on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

Project delays leave fences up

AN Inverness solicitor is shocked that fencing placed around a major green energy project is still in place months after it was supposed to be completed. 

Duncan Henderson, who lives in the Bellfield Park area, said that, because it has not been removed, it is restricting access along neighbouring footpaths. 

It was originally placed around the River Ness hydro project but Mr Henderson claimed this was completed almost three months ago. 

However, a Highland Council spokesman said there was still work to be completed at the site and work on removing some of the fencing has started. 

The spokesman said: “Access to the active travel pathway, which begins at Bught Road and continues underneath the Holm Mills bridge, can be obtained through the Whin Park car park – this was the original access point.

“The perimeter fencing was removed from this access point week commencing April 25.” 

He said the immediate site still had a perimeter fence surrounding it as construction work was in fact not complete. “The project has been exposed to global supply chain issues which have regrettably elongated the completion date,” he added. 

The scheme is planned to open in July after which the remaining fencing will be removed.

From the Highland News on Thursday, May 19, 2022.