UK renewable energy provider Drax is to invest £80m in a major refurbishment of its 440MW ‘Hollow Mountain’ Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station in Scotland.
The company has appointed global hydropower technology supplier Andritz as the main contractor for the upgrade project, which will see capacity at the site boosted to 480MW.
Andritz Hydro is a supplier of electromechanical equipment and services for hydropower stations and has installed around 470GW of capacity during its more than 180 years of operations.
The £80m project will see the generating capacity of two of the plant’s four units increased by a combined 40MW to raise the facility’s total generating capacity to 480MW. The units were commissioned in 1965 and contain parts, including their turbines, which are now more than 50 years old.
Drax’s Cruachan Power Station is located on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll and is one of just four pumped storage hydro facilities in the UK.
Speaking in Ravensburg, Germany, at the signing of the contract with Andritz, Drax’s Interim chief operating officer Penny Small said: “Pumped storage hydro is vital to the UK’s energy security, it’s a technology which works in partnership with renewables.
“These plants play a critical role in stabilising the electricity system, helping to balance supply and demand through storing excess power. When wind turbines are generating more power than we need, Cruachan steps in to store the renewable electricity so it doesn’t go to waste.
“By investing in Cruachan today, Drax is ensuring the power station can play an even bigger role in the energy system of tomorrow. We look forward to working with our contracting partners to deliver this exciting project.”
The upgrade to the two units will improve their operability and reliability, lengthening their lifespan. Drax’s investment is underpinned by the award of 15-year capacity market agreement worth around £221m.
Pumped storage plants act like giant water batteries by using reversible turbines to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir which stores excess power from sources such as wind farms when supply outstrips demand. These same turbines are then reversed to bring the stored water back through the plant to generate power when the country needs it.
“We are proud to have been entrusted with the refurbishment of the Cruachan Pump Storage Power Plant. This project aligns with our mission to contribute to the global transition toward sustainable energy generation,” said Andritz Hydro managing director Dominik Fust.
The Cruachan upgrade project is separate to Drax’s plan to build a new 600MW pumped storage power station adjacent to the existing Cruachan facility. A study by the influential trade body Scottish Renewables estimated the project could create and support up to 1100 jobs.