Dave Windle
As predicted some time ago, the development of pumped storage is accelerating with potentially significant impact on remaining wild land. This technology for storing electricity becomes more necessary and, importantly, more financially attractive as the number of wind turbines, both on- and offshore increases.
When the wind is blowing, surplus (cheap) electricity is used to pump water up a hill and then, when the wind has stopped blowing, the water is allowed to run back through the pump/turbine to generate electricity which can be sold at an expensive rate. This difference in the buying and selling rate is what pays for the cost of constructing the dams, tunnels and electrical systems. From a national grid perspective, it allows the fluctuating electricity production due to natural variations in the wind to be evened out. Suitable sites need to have two lochs with a large difference in height. Vastly more energy can be stored in this way than in large battery sites, another popular storage idea. The other approach is to build more interconnecting cables between different countries as it's rare for the wind to not be blowing somewhere in Western Europe. Here, we're concerned with pumped storage.
SSE is promoting the Coire Glas scheme above Loch Lochy. They are still negotiating an appropriate subsidy scheme with the Government but are clearly optimistic about the outcome as they have let a contract for preliminary rock investigation which will involve serious spending. The final go-ahead will depend on a successful conclusion to both the price negotiations and the rock investigations.
Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) is promoting three schemes:
The Red John scheme, near Dores, has recently received planning consent. Their other two schemes are quiet as they have concentrated on Red John and also developing smaller battery schemes. Their business model is to do sufficient outline design work on a project to get planning permission and then sell the project to a larger, better financed company to actually build. Presumably, once they sell on their Red John scheme, we will see their energies turning to developing their other two schemes.
Gilkes Energy has proposed a very large scheme at Loch Earba, south of Loch Laggan earbastorage.co.uk . This scheme is in the early stages but, for comparison, is many times larger than the existing Ben Cruachan scheme. If it goes ahead, it will blow a hole in Wild land Area 14, profoundly affecting the area around the Munros, Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn and Craig Pitridh (plus 2 Grahams and Ardverikie Wall). Its proximity to the Beauly-Denny power line is cited as one of its advantages! Gilkes Energy is a small company and is presumably intending to sell the project on after obtaining planning permission.
Finally, Statera Energy is continuing with its plans to develop a third scheme south of Loch ness, using the existing Loch Kemp as the upper reservoir lochkempstorage.co.uk This scheme is in the pre-application, public consultation stage.
In addition to the building of new schemes, there is work ongoing to both convert existing hydropower stations, such as Loch Sloy, into pumped storage operations and also to expand existing pumped storage schemes such as Ben Cruachan. As you can see, there's a lot going on!
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