Reservoir and Dam

Glendoe is an ideal location for hydro electric power as it allows water to be collected in a reservoir very high in the hills above the power station. The more rain there is, the more power a hydro electric station can generate, so it’s a good thing that the average annual rainfall in the hills around Glendoe is about 2000mm, compared to under 700mm in Edinburgh. Water from an area of 15 square kilometres will drain naturally into the reservoir, and a system of underground pipes and tunnels will gather water from an additional area of 60 square kilometres in the surrounding hills.

The reservoir will be formed by the construction of a 905 metre-long dam on the River Tarff. The dam will be long and low, with a maximum height of 35 metres for a short stretch in the river valley. It will be constructed from a combination of rock produced by the construction of the Aqueduct Tunnel, and from a quarry opened up adjacent to the dam, which will be flooded by the eventual impoundment of the reservoir. The reservoir side of the dam will be coated with concrete, with the exposed face being natural rock. As a further sign of the project’s environmental sensitivity, the reservoir and dam will not be visible from any home or public road.

Similar SSE dam at Breacliach near Killin