SSE submits plans for massive hydro scheme in Great Glen

SSE Renewables, SSE’s renewable energy development division, has submitted an application for consent to build a huge new pumped storage hydro electric scheme to the north-west of Loch Lochy in the Great Glen. The scheme would help meet peak demand and would extract, store (up to 30GWh) and release energy to and from the electricity transmission system to help balance supply and demand for power at a national scale.

The scheme would be the largest hydro project to be built in Scotland and the first brand new pumped storage scheme to be developed in Great Britain since work began on the Dinorwig scheme in Wales in 1974. With a cost currently estimated at £800m it would also be one of the largest construction projects in Scotland. The scheme would require the construction of a new dam and upper reservoir at Loch a’ Choire Ghlais. At an estimated height above ground level of up to 92m, this would be one of the biggest dams ever built in the UK. A powerhouse complex would be constructed underground, together with a series of tunnels to provide access and convey water between the Loch Lochy and the new upper reservoir, beneath the cliffs of the popular Munro Sron a’Choire Ghairbh and the Corbett Ben Tee. In addition, an outlet area comprising an administration building and jetty, tunnel portals and a tailrace structure would be constructed on the shores of Loch Lochy.

Once completed the scheme would have minimal visual impact in the Great Glen, according to the developers. It is envisaged that the construction period would last up to five years, with an average workforce of around 150 throughout this time.

Jim Smith, Managing Director of SSE Renewables, said: “Hydro electric schemes, which use impounded water to generate electricity, are an excellent means of energy storage. Consequently, they naturally complement the variable output from the growing number of wind farms and play an important part in meeting peak demand. As the UK’s leading generator of renewable energy SSE is proud to be at the forefront of developing renewables and helping tackle climate change.”

If the project receives consent, a final investment decision is unlikely to be taken before 2014 at the earliest, and progress of this scheme (and other similar developments) will be dependent upon a satisfactory public policy and regulatory framework, including a change in transmission charging regime.