Drax Group has secured development consent from the Scottish Government for its plans to build a new £500m underground pumped storage hydro plant at its Cruachan facility in Argyll, Scotland.
The new 600MW plant will be constructed adjacent to the existing underground facility, effectively more than doubling the site’s total generation capacity to over 1GW.
Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said: “This is a major milestone in Drax’s plans to build Britain’s first new pumped storage hydro plant in a generation.
“These plants play a critical role in stabilising the electricity system, helping to balance supply and demand through storing excess power from the national grid.
“When Scotland’s wind turbines are generating more power than we need, Cruachan steps in to store the renewable electricity so it doesn’t go to waste.”
The announcement was made during a visit by Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf to Drax’s Cruachan power station on the shores of Loch Awe.
Morag Watson, Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, said: “Long-duration electricity storage, such as pumped storage hydro, will be essential for ensuring energy security and keeping energy bills low for consumers as we decarbonise our energy system.
“And the extension to the plant at Cruachan is one vital step towards maximising the benefits available from this technology.
“More pumped storage hydro means we can store cheap renewable electricity for when it is needed most, but much more needs to be done to support investment in the technology.”