Latest news with #BenCruachan
STV News
13-05-2025
- General
- STV News
Woman airlifted after 'serious fall' and man breaks ankle on mountain
A woman had to be airlifted from a mountain in Argyll after a serious fall, and a man was rescued from a Highland mountain after breaking his ankle. Oban Mountain Rescue Team were called to Ben Cruachan on Saturday after an injured woman alerted passing walkers to her injury. An off-duty policeman and a paramedic helped her before volunteers airlifted the woman from the hill and to hospital. HM Coastguard helicopter R199 was tasked with the airlift as she was treated on the peak. As teams were descending the rescue, they were then called to a man who had broken his ankle in a remote location on Stob Ghabhar in the Highlands. Oban MRT Woman suffers serious fall on Cruachan. Oban MRT Helicopter R151 from Inverness was deployed and the man was taken to hospital. Oban MRT said on Facebook: 'Yesterday turned out to be a busy day for the team. It was a lovely day on the hills and there were lots of folk out enjoying themselves. 'Unfortunately on Cruachan one lady had a serious fall and required assistance. 'She managed to alert sone passing walkers who called for help. 'Luckily, an off-duty policeman and a paramedic managed to get to her to help. 'Helicopter R199 was tasked to assist and lifted some team members to help treat the lady. She was then lifted and whisked off to hospital.' The team added: 'As we were driving down the hill another call came in for a gentleman with a broken ankle on Stob Ghabhar in a remote location. 'So off we went again. Luckily another helicopter was available R151 from Inverness, which saved us a long walk in. 'The gentleman was safely in the hospital before we had turned around. 'We would like to thank the guys and girls in the rescue helicopters who do an outstanding job as usual. 'We also wish the casualties a speedy recovery.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Hollow Mountain' hydro power plant expansion put on hold
Major hydro power plant expansion put on hold 9 minutes ago Share Save Share Save Getty Images The existing power station at Ben Cruachan involves a 46m-long dam The operator of an underground power station at Scotland's "Hollow Mountain" has put on hold its plans for a major expansion of the site. Renewables developer Drax had proposed building a new hydro-electric facility next to its existing complex inside Ben Cruachan, near Dalmally in Argyll. But it said the costs of the project had risen and it would not be bidding for UK government support at this time. The company said the expansion could potentially go-ahead in the future, "subject to an appropriate balance of risk and return". The existing underground power station was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965. At the time, it was the first large-scale reversible turbine storage energy project of its kind in the world. It is housed within a huge cavern dug out inside Ben Cruachan, which is nicknamed Hollow Mountain because of the project. Drax had proposed investing £500m in the construction project over seven years. Last year, it completed initial design and engineering work for a 600MW expansion of Cruachan. The company said: "Drax believes that the Cruachan II project is well aligned with the long-term system need for flexible generation and energy storage and, given its location, is well placed to support system constraints between Scotland and England." It added: "Drax remains committed to disciplined capital expenditure which seeks to balance the risk and return of individual projects against other uses of capital, to maximise value." Scenes for Star Wars series Andor were filmed at Cruachan. The makers of the show said the underground power station - and its 316m (1,037ft), 46m (15ft) long dam - had the look it had been aspiring to capture for an episode called The Eye. Production designer Luke Hull told BBC Scotland News in 2022: "If you look at the dam, it looks like Darth Vader's mask."
