Letter from a local Business Owner to MSPs
Below is a letter written by Peter MacMillan (a local tourism business owner) giving his perspective on the likely impacts of the proposed Loch Kemp and Glen Earrach Pumped Storage Hydro projects on Loch Ness and the wider tourism sector.
I write to you regarding the two Pumped Storage Hydro proposals for Loch Ness – Loch Kemp (Statera) and Glen Earrach.
I believe that if the Scottish Parliament allows either of these schemes to go ahead it will be devastating for Scotland’s reputation internationally. We have an absolute national treasure called Loch Ness, the Loch and its stories of a Monster draw people to Scotland from all over the world – these people hold this notion dear to their hearts! Even putting aside the direct economic benefit of tourism that Loch Ness and the Monster bring [which is absolutely massive] the most damaging thing will be to our reputation internationally. People will ask how we can even think of industrialising such a magical and [almost] unspoilt area simply to fulfil, in a lazy and un-caring way, two goals – one is the [worthy but hasty and currently ugly] move towards carbon net-zero, the other is plain greed – through vast profits for shareholders, shareholders who likely care nothing for the damage, whether physical, environmental, economic or reputational to us.
Yes, as locals we all take the stories with a pinch of salt, but we shouldn’t smirk at them too much – what will become of the City of Inverness after tales of the Monster are no longer entertained? How will the local economy perform when the Loch has a 2 metre dam at the canal entrance forGlen Earrach and presumably a further metre or more dam literally on top of that for Statera [no idea how that is going to work btw if they both get permission – has anyone looked into this possible outcome?] plus a MASSIVE generator plant on the absolutely natural and pristine mountain-slide opposite Invermoriston and in full frontal view of all those tourists passing by on the A82. This proposed structure will, I am told [though information from Statera is always minimal] be twice as wide, twice as high and twice as deep as Foyers generator and judging by the pictures even uglier, with constant industrial humming and whirring noises emanating from it carried across and along the loch, constant ongoing – by the hour – changes in the lochs height that will confuse, confound and irritate tourists and locals and of course will be hugely consequential for the Loch’s wildlife, plus a scar all around – a bath-ring around the loch ! of I presume about 3 metres height or more and many metres inland in places – similar to Loch Cluanie –a sight that will greatly detract from any beauty left. Plus, one tiny extra point – Eilean Muirraid/Cherry Island, cute and lush with vegetation, the loch’s only island, a historic one too, will only be visible as a pile of sterile stones in the morning, to soon be overcome by the rush of the hydro water through the day, every day [except during drought when the schemes can’t function]. Loch Ness will totally lose its charm! Tourism will be dead in the water, the only monster will be the awful generator bolted on to a once wholly natural mountain slope, and all in full view of almost every visitor travelling through the Highlands.
Regarding the capital of the Highlands – please try to see that Inverness and its surrounding area is not intrinsically or especially interesting, what makes it such a successful tourist town is the huge draw and reputation of Loch Ness, with of course its legend. The legend cannot survive this wanton ugly industrialisation – it goes against the perceived international romantic notion of the Highlands in general, and against the perception of where the Monster lives in particular – it will not be acceptable that she lives in an industrialised zone, more-so one that operates 24/7/365. They also have a notion that the proud Scots take care of their beautiful scenic romantic Highlands [yes, perhaps that is another daft notion – but please let’s prove them right !]. With no Nessie draw, Inverness will become bypassed by any that want to visit beyond Edinburgh – well, that’s only a pessimistic prediction, but honestly – what else has Inverness to offer that draws people worldwide? it’s a rather ordinary town otherwise, it will become just a place to pass through, or do some shopping on the way to the unspoilt [we hope] West and North Coasts. There will be a lot of hotels for sale once the blow is struck. I predict that Inverness will dwindle into long-term neglect. Inverness NEEDS Nessie! – I ask you to do your utmost to protect her. I also believe that Scotland as a whole will be bypassed by many, as we slide down the league of un-spoilt destinations.
But the crazy thing is – this destruction of Loch Ness is completely [COMPLETELY!!] unnecessary. The same goals can be achieved by means that do not cause this awful damage. Pls bear with me:
In civilised first-world countries the norm for PSH is a CLOSED-LOOP system – it avoids almost all of the negatives and has huge positives as it can be done virtually anywhere that there is a hill and a small water source – virtually anywhere ! The simple difference with what is proposed is that these civilised countries insist on a reservoir being built at the bottom of the gravity system as well as at the top – just a small difference – so, no need for Loch Ness, no need for despoiling any loch. So simple ! And incidentally another positive – it is not affected by drought – as Loch Ness is as I write this – at this moment it is doubtful that either Glen Earrach of Statera would be allowed to operate, in order to prevent the canal going dry. In this changing climate – who knows how dry it will become at times and how useless they will be? Closed-Loop systems do not suffer from this as long as they have just a tiny water input to top them up against evaporation – like a central heating system.
Please, I ask you to try to see us/Scotland as others see us – these others have daft notions about us, but these daft notions [or facts] bring us so much ! indeed, a fantastic amount !! Are we really going to chuck it all under a bus ? We should be appalled by the idea of industrialising and degrading Loch Ness [of ALL Lochs too ! OMG – absolutely mad to do so !] but looks like we are – so many seem silent or uninterested – please don’t be, please discuss this fully with your colleagues in the Scottish parliament and look at the long long term, not the 2030 promise – that net zero promise can come in other non-harmful ways, nor the tax raised on those shareholders profits [it’ll probably go to the UK gov anyway or off-shore], nor the employment that will be claimed to be gained in the short term, these schemes will lose us employment in the long term and will greatly degrade our tourism economy . And it will massively damage our international standing, it will be shameful as well as, sorry to say it bluntly – plain stupid of us!
Thank you for reading my letter, I hope you, as an MSP will fully consider these hugely serious points and I further hope that you can raise them with other MSPs to form a full understanding of the consequences of these PSH schemes – both concerning the damage and the vastly more sensible and less destructive Closed-Loop alternative.
For your information:
I have been in Scottish tourism since 1985, my business has a turnover of around £3-4m pa, I estimate 2 million people have passed through my doors in that time [and I pay attention to what they say and their perceptions], I have premises and tours around Scotland including Inverness and at Alltsigh on the banks of the Loch, I employ around 35 people year-round. So I am writing this as both someone whose business will be negatively affected locally and nationally, and though the environmental damage is of great concern too – hard to compare of course, but the international bad-press is going to be the worst – that is the one that will really undermine my Scottish tourism business and I believe will undermine virtually all other Scottish tourism businesses – as well as soiling our national reputation – that would be a personal sadness, a reputation that we should treasure and protect!
I would like to discuss this with you in person, if possible, I could either go to your surgery or I would like to invite you to drop in to my business at Alltsigh, we could take a stroll along the banks of the Loch while they are still comparatively natural, to talk about the potential huge consequences of these 2 schemes. I have also sent this letter to your colleagues, the other Highland area MSPs and hope that this issue can be put as a national issue as well as a Highland issue, not belonging to one particular party, nor just one area. If you care to visit to see first-hand, my address is: Lochside Hostel, Alltsigh, IV63 7YD. I would be delighted to meet with you.
Yours sincerely,
Peter MacMillan
P.S
Loch Kemp / Statera –https://stateraenergy.co.uk/projects/loch-kemp-storage
Glen Earrach – https://glenearrach.energy
Some various Closed-Loop info:
https://www.hydropower.org/factsheets/pumped-storage