Field Visit
Date 2010
Event ID 882027
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/882027
Cruachan Dam is a good example of the buttress type dam pioneered by James Williamson in his work at Sloy. The dam creates a reservoir for Ben Cruachan Power Station, the turbine hall of which lies buried in the hillside beneath the dam. The dam also receives and stores water pumped up from Loch Awe, as Cruachan operates as a pumped storage station with reversible turbines. Ben Cruachan dam is a fine example of the work of prominent dam designer James Williamson, characteristic of a large suite of dams he designed for major hydro electric power schemes in Scotland. The dam forms an integral part of one of the most innovative hydro electric schemes in Britain and the first example of integrated pumped storage technology. The dam dominates the corrie below Ben Cruachan itself and creates a large reservoir. The development of the scheme was a key component of the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board’s (NoSHEB) plans to exploit the natural resources of Highland Scotland to generate electricity. National Archives of Scotland (NAS), Ref: NSE North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Collection (1943 -1990); NAS, Ref: NSE1 North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Minutes (1943-1990); NAS, Ref NSE2 North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board Annual Reports (1943-1990); PL Payne, 1988; E Wood, 2002,178-79; J Miller, 2002, 230-40; F A Walker, 2000, 375.
