ScottishPower has accomplished work on an intensive £4.5m capping and restoration programme at Valleyfield in Fife, which features a specifically designed haven for birds and different wildlife.
Since the restoration of the positioning, ecologists have recorded one of many largest single flocks of Curlew on the interior Forth on the lagoons, and a flock of over 2,000 pink-footed geese.
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Other species embrace Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Shelduck and Mallard. Curlew, Dunlin and Ringed Plover have a Red UK conservation standing because of their lowering numbers, which makes the positioning a useful habitat.
Constructed on reclaimed land from the Forth estuary, the lagoons retailer residual ash slurry from the coal-fired energy era course of.
The Valleyfield Ash Lagoons are included with the Firth of Forth Site of Special Scientific Interest, as they assist to help nationally vital numbers of passage and wintering wildfowl and waders, equivalent to Curlews and Oystercatchers.
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When the lagoons had been capped, following the decommissioning of the ability station, Scottish Power labored intently with Fife Council, RSPB Scotland, SEPA, NatureScot and skilled ecologists to place collectively a plan for restoring and managing the positioning to make sure that it continued to be a haven for these wonderful birds.
Work on the wetland space was carried out with a concentrate on encouraging wading chicken species to roost throughout excessive tides. Several raised islands and mild slopes had been created to offer shelter from winds and security from predators.
A secure nesting surroundings, generally known as a wader scrape, has been designed and created on one of many lagoons, the place salt water is pumped in on a daily and automatic foundation to maintain water ranges to design specification and a wind turbine gives the ability the pumps want.
Many of the wading birds are in declining numbers on the web site will go a way to make sure they brighten our countryside for future generations to get pleasure from. Viewing areas have additionally been created in order that the general public can see the birds with out inflicting any pointless disturbance.
Andrew Ward, CEO Customer Business at ScottishPower mentioned, “Our dedication to environmental stewardship is on the coronary heart of this undertaking. We’ve labored onerous to create a haven for biodiversity from the commercial legacy of Longannet.
“This collaboration represents how business, conservation organisations, and native authorities can come collectively for a sustainable future.”
One of the important thing aims of the undertaking was to cap and seal the lagoons and collaborative efforts noticed the usage of the colliery shale from the previous Comrie Colliery as capping materials at Valleyfield, which was a further constructive end result, benefitting two communities.
From one of many newly put in chicken hides, the purpose-built sand martin financial institution could be seen and extra seating has been put in for eager ornithologists.
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Toby Wilson, Senior Conservation Officer at RSPB Scotland mentioned they had been already seeing massive numbers of birds utilizing the positioning as a excessive tide roost with numbers anticipated to rise.
He continued: “RSPB Scotland looks forward to continuing to work with ScottishPower at Valleyfield and other sites to help wildlife thrive on these important post-industrial sites.”
Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville, added mentioned it was encouraging to see the progress that has been made in recent years to create the sanctuary for wildlife.
“What a fantastic instance of how Scotland can build a inexperienced, sustainable future by extra successfully utilizing websites from our industrial heritage,” she added.
