The River Erne Scheme is made up of two separate power stations with a combined generating capacity of 65MW, which are sometimes collectively known as Ballyshannon station:
Station: Cliff
County: Donegal
Fuel type: Hydro
Capacity: 20MW
Status: Active
Commissioned: 1950
Station: Cathaleen’s Fall
Alternate name: Kathaleen’s Fall
County: Donegal
Fuel type: Hydro
Capacity: 45MW
Status: Active
Commissioned: 1951
The Erne Scheme utilises the natural drop of 45m between the two stations at Cliff and Cathaleen’s Fall to form the basis for the second-largest hydro operation in the country.
Starting work in 1946, we excavated 600,000m³ of earth and rock from the 6 km-long Belleek Channel to help manage water control in the catchment area, as well as building a barrage and boat locks at Enniskillen, plus a 1.37 km long tailrace below Cathleen’s Falls.
Overall, the total water storage capacity of the River Erne and its lakes is around 194 million cubic metres and the average water flow is 92m³/second.
Cliff can generate enough power to supply over 12,000 homes while Cathleen’s Fall can create enough to service 26,000 homes.
For more information about River Erne Scheme, see the documents below:
Cliff Hydro Electric Power Station from book “A Heritage Inventory of ESB Buildings in Ireland”
Cathaleen’s Fall Hydro Power Station from book “A Heritage Inventory of ESB Buildings in Ireland”