Little Loch Shin, Dam

This diversion takes the form of a dam which contains the artificial Little Loch Shin. The dam has a fixed spillway and provides a legal minimum flow to the river Shin, with a small turbine on the compensation flow. Water is diverted into a tunnel running through to the power station at Shin. A large plate gate and gatehouse are sited at the entrance to the tunnel for isolation when required. The site is relatively unaltered except for the addition to later trash screens and automatic screen cleaning infrastructure. This is a standard feature providing flow regulation and water diversion for Shin power station. PL Payne, 1988, 5; E Wood, 2002, 38; J Miller, 2002.

The Shin hydroelectric scheme

Work began in 1954 on the Lairg dam., a concrete gravity and earth- fill type at the east end of Loch Shin. Lairg power station was built into the dam and employs a vertical Kaplan turbine generating 3.5MW. Out flow is into Little Loch Shin which supplies Shin power station through a tunnel. This station has two horizontal Francis turbines generating a total of 24MW. Cassley power station at the west end of Loch Shin is fed by aqueducts and a tunnel, and produces an output of 10MW. A Borland fish lift is provided at Lairg dam. The scheme was completed in 1960.

Information from NRHE catalogue item number WP007424 compiled by George Walker in 2005.