A ten-year campaign to build a small hydro scheme which could have generated £130,000 a year for a Highland community has finally ran out of power.
The Big Burn Hydro Development received £140,000 of public money to build a sustainable source of renewable energy in Golspie.
However, Golspie Community Power (GCP), set up in 2010 to develop the plans, has been closed and arrangements are now being made to wind up the project.
In a letter to members, chairman John Ford said the charity’s board is “very sad that 10 years of effort has been in vain”.
GCP says a decision by SSE to cut the size of an agreed grid connection halved potential income from the scheme and made it unviable.
The group later unsuccessfully tried to find ways to make the scheme work on a smaller scale.
Former project manager Gordon Robertson said: “This is a clear case of SSE destroying a viable community scheme. It was heart breaking. It was a ruthless decision and they would not budge.”
The project for a 100kw scheme received £140,000 from the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme. It gained planning permission in 2014 and GCP paid more than £40,000 for a grid connection.
Mr Robertson said attractive Feed in Tariff payments at the time would have brought in an expected annual gross income of £130,000. However, as construction tendering was to start, SSE said it could only offer a 50kW connection due to grid constraints.
He said after the “body blow” funders could not be found. He added: “The overriding feeling is of sadness. The funds generated would have created jobs, environmental improvements, apprenticeships, new businesses, educational opportunities, all abilities path improvements and so much more.”
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone is to seek a meeting with SSE: “This is most unfortunate. This sad move flies in the face of trying to generate carbon neutral energy by a community and for a community.”
A spokeswoman for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said: “We have worked with Golspie Community Power for a number of years in relation to their connection request which is located in a part of the electricity network that is constrained in capacity.
“We have maintained an ongoing dialogue, provided updates and explored a number of options to support and assist them with their connection.
“Whilst we understand Golspie Community Power’s request for us to expedite this connection, as a Distribution Network Operator we are obligated to operate within our licence conditions as set out by the regulator, Ofgem.
“Our licence does not allow us to deviate beyond these conditions to afford any project priority over another.”