A PUBLIC meeting is to be held in Arrochar to give the public more information on plans to transform a power station on the banks of Loch Lomond.

SSE Renewables will hold the second of two public meetings to provide the local community and stakeholders with more information about the proposals to convert the Sloy power station, north of Tarbet, into a new 'pumped hydro storage' facility.

The consultation will take place in the front meeting rooms at the Three Villages Hall from 3pm to 7pm on Wednesday, November 1 and will allow the public to meet project team members, find out more about the proposals, and raise questions.

Perth-based green energy generator SSE Renewables announced the plans in May, with the hope they will further support the country’s goal to become net zero by 2045.

An initial public consultation was held in Arrochar in July, and now people are to have a second chance to get updated information on the proposals and provide feedback in advance of a planning application being submitted next year.

The Sloy hydro-electric station opened in 1950, five years after construction work began.

Georgina Wardrop, SSE Renewables’ head of hydro stakeholder engagement, said: “We would like to thank everyone who joined us at our last public exhibition event in July.

“It was great to see so many people interested in finding out more about our proposals to convert the iconic Sloy Power Station into a pumped hydro storage facility.

“We are looking forward to returning to Arrochar to update the local community and interested stakeholders on our progress.

“Events like these are a critical part of the development process for us to ensure local voices are heard and can be considered ahead of submitting our planning application early next year.

“Sloy Power Station has been a proud part of the local community since the 1950s and it stands ready to play an important role for generations to come, providing vital flexibility to the electricity grid and supporting the transition to net zero.”

The 152.5MW Sloy Power Station is the largest conventional hydro power station in SSE Renewables’ existing hydro power fleet.

The power station is fed from Loch Sloy, which is just four kilometres away but is more than 277 metres higher than the power station.

The 'pumped storage' plan would see excess energy from the electricity grid used to pump water from Loch Lomond to the upper Loch Sloy, where it would be stored before being released to power the grid when wind output is low and customer demand is high.