Art deco hydro power station 'good as new' after refurbishment

A hydro power station in southern Scotland which opened more than 90 years ago is looking "as good as new" after a £2m refurbishment.

The art deco industrial building at Tongland, near Kirkcudbright, is part of the wider Galloway Hydro Scheme developed in the 1930s.

The category A-listed structure's exterior has been carefully restored using specialist materials designed to preserve it for "decades to come".

Operators Drax said special measures had been put in place during the refurbishment due to the "finely detailed modernist classical design" of the building.

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.

"This was a complex project, with great care taken by Drax and our contracting partners to protect this historic building during the work.

"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 by Drax which includes installing about 1,500 solar panels across its Galloway and Lanark hydro schemes.

The Galloway scheme opened in 1935 and comprises six power stations at Drumjohn, Kendoon, Carsfad, Earlstoun, Glenlee and Tongland which run from north of Carsphairn to near Kirkcudbright.

It was bought by Drax - along with the Lanark scheme - in 2018 and produces enough energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

At the peak of its construction, it employed more than 1,500 people in south-west Scotland.

It also resulted in the moving of a castle - stone by stone - which was set to be submerged by rising water levels.