Drax invests £2m to preserve iconic Tongland hydro plant
Pamela Largue
Posted on: 9 July 2026
Drax's investment has revitalised the 90-year-old Tongland Power Station, preserving a key part of Scotland's hydroelectric heritage
Energy company Drax has announced the completion of a refurbishment project at the Tongland power station in Scotland.
The plant in Dumfries and Galloway was developed in the 1930s making it one of the oldest in Scotland.
The £2 million project saw the power station’s exterior restored using specialist materials designed to protect and preserve the historic building for decades to come.
Special measures to protect the power station during the construction work were put in place, with Tongland designated as a Category A listed building by Historic Environment Scotland due to its importance in the development of hydropower and its “finely detailed modernist classical design”.
In addition to the work to the building’s external façade, Drax has revamped the site’s exhibition space within the main station building to enable the power station to once again host school tours.
The power station is one of six hydroelectric facilities within the Galloway Hydro Scheme, a network of dams, reservoirs and power stations stretching across Dumfries and Galloway. Together they have provided renewable electricity to Scotland for generations.
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Ian Kinnaird, Drax’s FlexGen Assets Director, said: “The Galloway Hydro Scheme has been generating flexible, renewable electricity for 90 years, and this major refurbishment means it will continue to do so for many more years to come.”
According to Kinnaird, the project was complex as great care had to be taken to protect the historic building during the work.
He added: “Tongland has been part of Scotland’s energy story for almost a century, so everyone involved should feel incredibly proud to see it looking as good as new.”
The completion of Tongland’s external refurbishment is part of a wider investment in Scotland by Drax. The company is currently installing around 1,500 solar panels across its Galloway and Lanark hydro schemes, completing an £80 million upgrade of its Cruachan Power Station, and work will soon start on an upgrade at its Glenlee site.
