Site Records

Nant Power Station - Tailrace

The tailrace from Nant is a tunnel, 2000ft long, mostly unlined, followed by 700ft of concrete aqueduct, consturcted by cut & cover, which dicharges into Loch Awe.

The first place the water is seen again, after the draft tube stoplog chamber, is the end of the 2000ft tailrace tunnel. Beside the main road along Loch Awe, not far from the turn-off to the power station, is a nondescript enclosure:

Closer inspection shows concrete slabs covering an opening:

Looking through the openings reveals that the concrete slabs are covering a significant shaft, with water surging and stiring at the bottom. This marks the end of the tailrace tunnel, and the start of the cut and cover aqueduct. The latter runs beneath a field on the other side of the road, towards the loch...

...where it finally discharges.

A simple flap gate controls the water, and allows the tailrace to be closed-off from the loch, and dewatered.

Words and images © 2003 Michael J. Ross