Last pylon down in preparation for underground cable project
The last of 13 pylons in Glen Falloch has been removed as part of a project to improve the visual impact of transmission infrastructure in the area.
The towers south of Crianlarich, installed in the 1950s, are being replaced by new sections of underground cable almost 4.5km in length.
It replaces the overhead line which passed through the glen and across the A82 trunk road and West Highland railway line.
The cable has been carefully installed using both open cut and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) methods, ensuring any disturbance is minimised as much as possible.
Project manager Alistair Mcdonald said:“this is a huge milestone and a really exciting step in the Glen Falloch VISTA project, where we’ll really see a difference in the visual impact with the towers being removed from the scenic landscape in the national park.
“The electrical infrastructure at Glen Falloch was originally installed in the 1950s, and thanks to the funding from Ofgem we are able to remove this infrastructure and underground with cables instead, helping to improve their visual impact in the area.
“The energisation of the new underground circuit means we were able to maintain supply of electricity seamlessly while we worked to remove the remaining towers, which involved a crew working to safely dismantle the towers one-by-one.”
Scenic Glen Falloch is located within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
The project is the third Visual Impact of Scottish Transmission Assets scheme – known as VISTA – to be carried out by SSEN Transmission to reduce the impact of its existing historic electricity transmission infrastructure in some of Scotland’s most precious landscapes.
A further VISTA project is in the early stages at Killin, which will involve undergrounding 7.8km of cable and removing 31 towers in some of the most scenic areas surrounding the village, including where the line crosses the Falls of Dochart beauty spot and the A827 road.
Teams will now work to remove the remaining tower foundations at Glen Falloch before beginning work to reinstate access tracks in the area.
To learn more about the VISTA projects being carried out by SSEN Transmission visit: https://www.ssen-transmission. co.uk/sustainability-and-environment/vi sta/?msclkid=97ea4e57b5c811ecb2c31e e87a597c26