Koehler commissions new collaborative project with Vento Ludens Ltd.

Koehler Renewable Energy, part of the Koehler Group, has successfully completed the joint project with Vento Ludens Ltd. and fully commissioned four more run-of-river power plants in the Scottish Highlands near Greenfield Burn.

These power plants are part of a portfolio which includes the construction of a total of six run-of-river power plants. The four new power plants were constructed after winning the tendering process run by the Forestry Commission Scotland (now Forestry and Land Scotland) in 2014. The first two projects in Kelburn and Ledard were successfully completed as early as 2017. With four more hydroelectric power plants being commissioned, the portfolio has now been completed with this project.

“In retrospect, we chose a very challenging time to implement this project. Despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, including the temporary suspension of building work, we are proud to have now completed the construction on time. The first of the four plants began supplying electricity back in December 2020,” says Alan Mathewson, Head of Project Development at Vento Ludens.

Nicolas Christoph, Division Head Wind Power, Solar, Hydro & Business Development at Koehler Renewable Energy adds: “The wet climate in Scotland as well as the mountainous terrain provide the perfect conditions for hydroelectric projects. Thanks to their long service lives, these projects are ideally suited to the long-term strategy of family companies like Koehler and Vento Ludens. The lockdown measures made the construction phase a lot more difficult but the outstanding project management on site and the excellent collaboration with colleagues in Scotland made it possible to successfully perform commissioning without any significant delays.”

In run-of-river power plants, some of the river water is directed through a water turbine. This converts the potential energy of the water into a mechanical rotary motion which drives a generator. The kinetic energy of the water is then converted into mechanical and ultimately into electrical energy. The four run-of-river power plants in the Highlands of Scotland generate enough power to supply more than 2800 average British households. This enables savings of more than 4300 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The advantage of this technology is the reliability. Apart from seasonal fluctuations, run-of-river power plants produce electricity at a very consistent rate and around the clock.