Glen Earrach Energy

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57°16′05″N 4°33′58″W / 57.268°N 4.566°W / 57.268; -4.566

Topograhic map of Loch nam Breac Dearga (left), in the hills above Loch Ness, opposite the village of Foyers (right)

Glen Earrach Energy is a proposed pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH) scheme in the Scottish Highlands. If built, the project will be one of the largest pumped-hydro scheme in Scotland, storing 30GWh of energy with a maximum generating capacity of 2.0GW.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Public consultations took place in October and November 2024.[7]

The developers plan to soon publish a detailed environmental impact assessment.[1] They aim to start construction in 2026, and hope to deliver first power to the national grid in 2030.[2]

Proposals

Loch nam Breac Dearga in 2021

The scheme will use Loch Ness as the lower reservoir, and Loch nam Breac Dearga as the upper.[1]

Economics

The scheme will cost in the order of £3 billion.[1]

The economics are favourable because the large height difference between the upper reservoir, at nearly 500 m above sea level, and Loch Ness,[1] which is just 16 m above sea level, and only 3 km distant.

Criticism

The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board has reservations about the impact on water levels in Loch Ness. The Guardian newspaper reports that critics fear the scheme "could significantly affect the [Loch Ness's] delicate ecology, its migrating salmon and trout, its leisure cruising firms and its archaeological sites, including a prehistoric crannog, or human-made island."[1]

See also

References

External links

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