Site Records

Culligran Power Station - Intake

The intake for Culligran is situated on the North bank of Loch Beannachran, immediately adjacent to Beannachran dam. The intake is square, with a control gate 17ft x 14ft, transitioning to the main Culligran tunnel, which is D-shaped, 16ft x 16ft, 17,000ft long to the surge shaft.

Photo: Culligran - intake. Gatehoue and screen .
Photo by: Mike Ross

Photo: Culligran - intake gatehouse. Most unusually doors are open, with a barrier up.
Gate is closed, system is dewatered.
Photo by: Mike Ross

Photo: Culligran - intake vent shaft. Located a few yards to the right of the above picture.
Normal water level clearly visible. System is dewatered, so you can see all the way to the floor of the tunnel.
First time I visited this location it had been raining heavily. I could hear a sound every few seconds like heavy sea crashing on beach, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Turned out it was the vent shaft; the heavy rain had caused floods, leading to air being entrained with the water as it went into the tunnel. The air de-emulsiies, if forms bubbles, they run upstream along the roof of the tunnel until they reach this point, then surge in fairly spectacular fashion up the shaft. I'm informed that on more than one occasion the force of the air escaping was so great it blew the grating off the top of the shaft!
Photo by: Mike Ross
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