The Scottish government has cleared proposals from Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) Group, a green energy developer based in Lanarkshire County, to build its £550-million hydroelectric power storage along the shores of Loch Ness.
The ILI Group will soon allow local community groups to invest in the Red John Pumped-Storage Hydropower project, according to its website. Community organisations can tap Local Energy Scotland, which manages the government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) for funding and other support in becoming project investors.
Many of the largest hydroelectric power stations with pumped energy storage in the UK are located in Scotland and Wales, such as the commercially-run 1,728 MW Dinorwig hydropower plant with pumped storage in Snowdonia. Pumped-storage hydropower is hailed as the reason behind the 99% renewable energy penetration rate of Norway, the country sometimes called the "green battery" of Europe.
The Insider on 8 June quoted ILI Group Chief Executive Mark Wilson as saying that the 450 MW Red John PSH project could potentially prevent emissions of more than 45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
Findings and recommendations were sent to government ministers in February following a local inquiry about the PSH project last year.
PSH uses electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir, storing excess electricity generated from the grid network at times of low demand and generating power to meet sudden or projected spikes in demand.
The investment in PSH is crucial for balancing power demand and supply, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson was quoted as saying. It will ensure a secure system that can also create more employment, enabling a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.
Matheson has also urged the UK government to take necessary steps over reserved areas to spur potential investments in greenfield pumped storage projects in Scotland.
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