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 TONGLAND
POWER STATION
The view upstream
TONGLAND IS THE largest station
in the scheme and operates under a nett head
of about 106 ft. Tongland Dam is only two miles upstream from Kirkcudbright
Harbour, on the main Castle Douglas road, where there is an excellent
interpretation and guide service for visitors to this wonderful feat of
civil engineering.
A guided tour will give you an insight into the force of nature that
is captured, channelled and released back into the environment, enabling
us to produce pure clean energy.
The tour itself takes you into the heart of the power station, to the
control room where the whole process is monitored and to the Turbine Hall
where the machines resonate with the newly created power.
You will learn about the operation of the power station and of the
other stations in the Galloway
Hydros; how they contribute to the National Electricity Grid System
and of Scottish Power's commitment to the Galloway Hydros to the year 2050
and beyond.
Environment
At Tongland Dam you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a
migrating salmon as it makes its way up the ingenious fish ladder. These
ladders are a feature of the whole system.
Even in the 1920s, and with the electricity industry in its infancy,
environmental considerations were very much in the mind of Colonel
McLellan. The Doon, Dee and Ken are all famous salmon rivers. The
original plans, which take advantage of every available source of water,
were scrutinised by an amenities committee.
Galloway Hydros has an agreement with The
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to minimise the fluctuation
of water levels in Loch Ken, which has a major nature reserve on its marsh
system, where birds breed. The cost of this is paid by Galloway Hydros.
Stephen Taylor & Fraser Patterson
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