In a story in The Herald newspaper, it was reported that Shawater Ltd, along with Alan Smith, a director of A & C Construction, and Charles Kippen, a director of Chic Kippen & Son, face fines of up to £160,000 for killing the protected species and causing long-term environmental damage. Sentencing is expected this week.
Responding to the news, David Williams, CEO of the British Hydropower Association (BHA), said he was deeply concerned that these incidents occurred during construction of hydropower schemes. "The BHA and its members working in Scotland work closely with SEPA and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) on the design and construction of hydropower projects and every effort is made to protect the flora and fauna within the boundaries of each scheme," he said.
SNH recently held workshops on the environmental aspects covering construction of hydro schemes in Scotland and the BHA participated in and contributed to these along with a number of its members.
Williams added that no member of the BHA was involved in the projects mentioned in the report."
Image: A freshwater pearl mussel, by Des Colhoun. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
