Why were plans to raise Loch Ness water levels not in original application for hydro scheme, asks fishery board
New proposals by a hydro developer to manage water levels on Loch Ness are being disputed by a salmon conservation board.
Proposed modifications to an existing weir were revealed earlier this month by Statera Energy, the company behind the proposed Loch Kemp pumped storage hydro scheme.
But the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB), which is strongly opposed to the hydro project, is querying why the modifications were not included in Statera’s original planning application submitted last year.
It is the latest twist in the ongoing controversy and comes as a petition initiated by the board calling for a halt on any further pump storage hydro schemes on Scottish lochs holding wild Atlantic salmon is due to be considered by a Scottish Parliamentary committee on November 27.
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Statera’s plans for a 600MW pumped storage hydro scheme near Whitebridge involve using the existing Loch Kemp as the upper storage reservoir and Loch Ness as the lower reservoir.
But the Ness DSFB maintains dramatic fluctuations in water levels of the world-famous loch could spell disaster for its fragile ecosystem and the Ness’s already beleaguered wild salmon population.
Concerns have also been raised about how the cumulative effects on water levels would impact on the operation of cruise vessels.
Statera has now unveiled a plan to modify the weir at Loch Dochfour and the River Ness, saying it will better manage water levels on Loch Ness, providing future resilience against the impacts of climate change.
It would include raising the crest height of the existing weir, creating a new fish pass and installing a new outlet sluice in the form of a tilting weir.
But the fishery board has hit out at the proposals which it says would fundamentally change the character of Loch Ness and the River Ness.
It maintains the measures are not required except to make the Loch Kemp pump storage scheme viable.
Brian Shaw, director of the Ness DSFB, said: “Commercial interests should not be playing God and interrupting the basic patterns of nature in Scotland’s most iconic loch.
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“Nor is it necessary to degrade Loch Ness's precious biodiversity to secure national energy security.”
He said Statera’s measures were based on a snap shot of lower water levels in Loch Ness from 2017 to 2023 - while 2024 had actually been a wetter year than average.
He said the only time when loch levels dropped below the canal navigational limit was in May 2023 and it had been due to abstraction by pump storage.
“Raising the level of Loch Ness is not going to reduce the incidence of low water levels,” Mr Shaw maintained.
“Instead, the pump storage schemes will be able to drawdown the level of Loch Ness even more frequently, with daily fluctuations down to the navigational limit.
“The busy summer tourist season will be plagued with frequent drawdowns to rock bottom levels, disrupting cruise boat operators as well as causing severe ecological damage.
“The integrity of Loch Ness, Scotland’s most iconic loch, simply cannot be compromised in this way.”
He also said that storing summer spates behind the tilting weir before release as slowly as possible would result in a new level of damage to Ness salmon runs and the biodiversity it supported.
He urged the planners to ask why the plan was not part of Statera’s original planning application for the Loch Kemp pump storage hydro submitted a year ago.
The petition initiated by the fishery board will be considered by Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on November 27.
It calls for a halt on on the further development of pump storage hydro operations on Scottish lochs holding wild Atlantic salmon until the impact of such developments on wild Atlantic salmon migrations is understood.
The Ness DSFB insists it is not against pump storage hydro per se but believes strongly that such schemes should be located where the environmental, and societal, risks are lower.
It says it is aware of several other locations in Scotland already under consideration which appear to be far more suitable sites and have significant storage, and generation, capacity.
Andrew Troup, of Statera Energy, said the first round of consultation events to discuss the plans would be held next week.
“We have discussed the proposals with Ness District Salmon Fisheries Board and look forward to continuing our dialogue, as well as engaging with other users of the loch about the proposals for Ness Weir II at our upcoming consultation events,” he said.
“The Ness Weir II project was not part of the Loch Kemp Storage planning application because one is not dependent upon the other.
“Loch Kemp Storage does not require the weir modifications to be able to operate.
“It will be a major contributor to delivering on our net zero goals and will help deliver energy security which in turn will help to reduce energy bills.”
He said the Ness Weir II proposals warranted their own application and consultation, given the potential impacts and benefits extended to those beyond the Loch Kemp Storage application.
“We have been open about the fact Ness Weir II would allow us to secure a return on investment if it was built, and that is why we are able to pay for these improvements which are needed to combat reducing water levels in the Loch as a result of climate change,” Mr Troup said.
“Drier/hotter summers and wetter winters from climate change will impact a wide range of users, and therefore the potential benefits of this extend to far more stakeholders than just us.
“It would also improve the chances for salmon trying to reach the sea – it’s estimated that more than 20 per cent of smolts currently get lost taking a wrong turning up the canal.”
Information can also be found at nessweir2.co.uk.
The consultation closes on Friday December 6.
Find out more about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.
