One of UK's oldest hydropower plants to be upgraded by Voith's Green Highland

One of the oldest hydropower plants in the UK is set for an upgrade, after a long-term operations and maintenance contract was signed with Voith company, Green Highland.

The Kinlochleven hydropower plant, located in the Scottish Highlands, was commissioned in 1909, which means it’s three 10MW Francis turbines, dam, pipelines and Blackwater Reservoir could do with some TLC.

Under the contract, the Green Highland team will take over daily operations and long-term maintenance, with the aim of modernising the site and optimising the plant’s performance.

This will extend the service life of the plant and ensure compliance with health, safety and environmental standards.

Members of the Kinlochleven team have joined Green Highland to contribute their experience and site-specific knowledge and ensure operational continuity.

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Said Alex Reading, Managing Director at Green Highland: “We are also delighted to welcome members of the previous site team to Green Highland. Their knowledge, decades-long experience and passion for hydropower are a perfect fit for the Green Highland team.

“Now, our joint focus is to ensure the site continues to deliver vital renewable energy for another 100 years and more.”

Initially, the plant generated power for a major aluminium smelter and now supplies renewable power to the UK’s grid. 

It’s owned by investor and asset manager Equitix, which acquired the plant in 2019. Equitix is focused on creating long-term value from its renewable assets and the longevity of hydropower lends itself to such a strategy.

New plans for old plants

It’s the longevity and reliability of hydropower, often seen as the stalwart of renewable energy resources, that has led to a number of modernisation initiatives being announced.

It’s all in an effort to extend the life of these invaluable resources and ensure their contributions can remain a part of the clean energy mix for centuries.  

In late 2024, Fortum announced it was modernising the 113-year-old Untra hydropower plant in the municipality of Tierp, Sweden, and replacing three out of five turbine-generator units. The capacity of the plant would increase from 42MW to 48MW and the project would aim to secure another 100 years of electricity production. The Untra project was constructed on the Dalalven River in late 1911, with the goal to provide Stockholm with electricity.

And in May this year, Rio Tinto announced plans to invest $1.2 billion to modernise its Isle-Maligne hydroelectric power plant, commissioned in 1926 in Alma, Quebec. The plant features twelve Francis hydropower units in total. The first unit modernisation is expected in 2026 and the last one by 2032.

Another hydroelectric power plant getting a much-needed digital overhaul is the 70-year-old Wały Śląskie plant in Poland. The hydropower plant, operated by Tauron Ekoenergia, was commissioned in 1959. It's a run-of-river plant that operates on outdated analogue systems.

As part of the EU-funded D-HYDROFLEX project, a digital twin of the system is being developed for the plant. The twin will test decision-making algorithms, implement real-time turbine discharge measurement methods, install efficiency meters for real-time operation, and create adaptive mechanisms for turbine operation under varying conditions. Beyond efficiency, the digital twin will improve predictive maintenance scheduling and the sustainability of the plant.