Save Loch Ness

03/10/2026

If ever there was a carefully timed and crafted front page article!

So, the construction of a new Quay in Inverness will apparently:

“roughly align with the construction of the hydro schemes proposed for the great Glen, which is understood to commence within the next 18 months”

“A number of proposed and consented large hydro schemes are expected to be constructed in coming years, with associated material requirements, movements of which could add pressure to the local road network. The barge berth will facilitate and promote the use of the Caledonian Canal…..”

“The proposal will also open up the opportunity to utilise the canal for its historic function as a means of commercial logistics.”

“It is expected that once these schemes have been built, the barges will be handed over to the Scottish Canals to operate a legacy freight service connecting the east and west coasts, repurposing the Caledonian Canal to its original purpose of freight movement.”

Some people might remember a public meeting where Glen Earrach told us all there would be no use of barges along the Caledonia Canal!

02/10/2026

You may wish to highlight your concerns on the GEE application to the South Planning Applications Committee members. The list of who sits on the committee and will thus consider the application next week, can be found at:

https://www.highland.gov.uk/councillors-committees/south-planning-applications-committee-wards-11-21/4

Contact details for all councillors is available at:

https://www.highland.gov.uk/councillors

Whilst we hope they will listen, consider and represent the significant concerns of their local communities......there is no harm in encouraging them!

01/10/2026

If you have read the Officers report for the Glen Earrach Pumped Storage Hydro scheme, there is one obvious question – why has it recommended that the Council 'RAISE NO OBJECTION'?

Well, the Officer has scrutinised the consultation responses, which include:

Glen Urquhart Community Council objects
Stratherrick and Foyers Community Council objects
Strathnairn Community Council objects
Highland Council Ecology Officer objects
Highland Council Landscape Officer objects
NatureScot objects
Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises objects
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board (NDSFB) objects
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) objects
The Woodland Trust objects
BugLife objects
Mountaineering Scotland objects
85% of public respondents object

Interestingly, the following responses were not covered in the Officers report:
Highlands Rewilding objects
Plantlife Scotland objects
Wild Trout Trust objects
Save Loch Ness objects

And thus, the Officer has recommended ‘RAISE NO OBJECTION’

Any questions?

01/10/2026

Following the announcement yesterday, if you want to know more about the South Planning Applications Committee (S**C) meeting next week, then see the link below.

You can also download the Officers report - it is labelled as: 6.1 2501599S36 Glen Earrach. The latest NatureScot objection is also available at the bottom of the page.

It is worth noting that members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting.

South Planning Applications Committee - Wednesday 7 October 2026

30/09/2026

The South Planning Applications Committee (S**C) of the Highland Council will consider the Glen Earrach Energy (GEE) application at their meeting next Wednesday (7th Oct).

This may surprise some of you, as we are still in an active consultation period, following the 4th submission of further information by GEE. in September.

For those you who don't read the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 2017, at bedtime - the consultation period for additional or supplementary information for an EIA is a minimum of 30 days. The consultation period remains open until the 5th Oct (next Monday).

Sound planning practice should mean that the Officer would wait until the end of that consultation period and ensure all relevant information is reviewed before completing the report on an application of this nature.

The Highland Council have opted to arbitrarily truncate the statutory minimum consultation period and the Officers report was issued a week prior to consultation deadline.

Clearly the Highland Council don't wish to consider any more responses and/or they are under pressure to get the application to committee.

This has potential ramifications for the outcome of the S**C meeting, as matters of 'material consideration' may be overlooked!

The decision to unilaterally stop the consultation clock prior to the published deadline could prejudice any decision made next week.

Glen Earrach Pumped Storage Hydro scheme would use the loch as a lower reservoir.

28/09/2026

It is time for a seismic shift in our latest blog, where we get the perspective of a systems engineer, sharing his thoughts on electricity generation and geology. See our blog for the full letter - https://savelochness.co.uk/a-seismic-shift-a-systems-engineers-perspective/

'The planned and existing Pumped Storage Hydro Electricity schemes on Loch Ness piqued my curiosity a little while ago. Comrie is located on the Highland Fault was famous for earth tremors which peaked in the 1830s. Loch Ness is in the Great Glen another geological fault line which runs across Scotland south west to north east. This is a major fault with other smaller associated faults around it. There have been tremors in the area in the recent past. A 5.1 magnitude tremor in 1816, 4.0 in 1888, 4.5 in 1890, 5.0 in 1901 amongst the biggest and most recent are 3.1 magnitude near Drumnadrochit in 2025 and one of 2.5 in July 2026. So, although the fault is said to be stable it is not tremor free.

There are several reasons to be concerned about building pumped storage power stations in an area like this. Large reservoirs in areas where there are faults can force water into the cracks changing the structure and causing movement along the fault line. Moving large volumes of water, potentially twice or more times a day, will cause the land to sink and rise as the mass of water moves. This has been known to trigger tremors in other locations globally and is known as Reservoir Induced Seismicity or RIS. Excavation of huge underground chambers redistribute stresses in the surrounding rocks this can take time to stabilise. The water in the reservoir can potentially enter existing faults and cause movement by reducing friction between the rocks. Work can be undertaken to mitigate this at the head reservoir but it is not guaranteed to be 100% successful and nothing can really be done to Loch Ness itself. Tremors of between 1 and 2 and stronger on the Richter Scale are known from other schemes around the world. Much stronger tremors although claimed to be unlikely are possible.

The limit for tremors induced by fracking for gas in the UK is set at 0.5 magnitude, a political choice. A tremor of 2.5 is, due to the way the scale works, is roughly 1000 times stronger than the fracking limit. There is no limit on tremor strength for Pumped Hydro electricity generation as far as I am aware. The reason for the difference would appear, for a cynic, to be that Pumped Hydro is green renewable supporting other green renewable electricity generation. So, residents near shale gas deposits are protected from earth tremors whereas those near renewable energy are not.'

22/09/2026

Our latest blog features 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'.

To read the full letter and hear more about the impacts on Loch Ness, local tourism and associated businesses......and some alternatives that should be considered, follow the link:
https://savelochness.co.uk/letter-from-a-local-business-owner-to-msps/

Image - Altsigh Youth Hostel (credit: https://lochsidehostel.com/)

21/09/2026

Signatures now over 3,000…

Our ancient Cailleach Nessa embodies the land’s forgotten wisdom, silenced by generations of human greed - have we forgotten how to listen to her?

Please sign & share if you haven’t already!

Stop the industrialisation of our sacred Loch Ness

20/09/2026

Industrialisation of our rural landscape with energy infrastructure is not limited to just Loch Ness or even the Highlands...

A group representing 200 rural community councils have united to demand an independent inquiry into the impact of huge multi-billion green energy and electricity infrastructure projects across Scotland.

The move from The Rural Scotland Convention of Community Councils follows concerns that the Scottish Government is only now getting round to assessing the wider impact.

The group, which stretches across five areas of the country, with community councils groups in Highland, the South of Scotland, North East Scotland, Shetland and Perth & Kinross are demanding a pause on major energy developments in the meantime while raising new concerns with the Scottish Government.

A group representing more than 200 rural community councils demand an independent inquiry into Scotland’s green energy and electricity…