Affric-Beauly hydro-electric power scheme

There had been attempts to build a hydro-electric scheme in Glen Affric in 1929 and in 1941. Both had been promoted by the Grampian Electricity Company, but both had been defeated when the authorising bills were deposited before parliament. The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board was created by the Hydro-electric Development (Scotland) Act 1943, a measure championed by the politician Tom Johnston while he was Secretary of State for Scotland. Johnston's vision was for a public body that could build hydro-electric stations throughout the Highlands. Profits made by selling bulk electricity to the Scottish lowlands would be used to fund "the economic development and social improvement of the…

Some preparatory work was required before work on the main scheme could begin. Two camps to house the workers were required, one at Cannich and the other at Cozac, near Mullardoch. They provided accommodation for 2,100 men, as well as offices and workshops. A number of roads and four new bridges were built, to improve access to the sites, while the road beside the River Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin was rebuilt at a higher level, to avoid it being flooded as the level of the loch was raised. The largest dam of the scheme is at Loch Mullardoch, at the head of Glen Cannich. At 2385 ft long and 160 ft high from the bottom of the foundations to the crest, it proved to be the largest dam…