The Anonymous Widower

UK Pumped Storage Projects Surge After 40-year Gap

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on International Dam and Waterpower Construction.

This is the sub-heading.

Plans are underway to ensure the UK soon adds to its pumped storage portfolio, which hasn’t seen the development of a new project for over 40 years

This first paragraph gives a summary of the new pumped storage hydro schemes under development.

According to the British Hydropower Association (BHA), although the UK hasn’t witnessed new pumped storage capacity for over 40 years, there are now 11 schemes at various stages of development across Scotland and Wales, with a combined 10 GW and 200 GWh of storage capacity.

Note.

  1. Currently, there is a total of 2.8 GW/24-26 GWh of pumped storage hydro in the UK in four plants.
  2. Two are in Scotland and two are in Wales.

The world’s largest operational pumped storage hydro scheme is the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station in China, which is 3.6 GW/ 40 GWh.

The second paragraph gives details of Coire Glas, which is one of the largest being constructed.

Mike Seaton from SSE Renewables gave an update on a project his company has been working on – the 1.4GW and 30GWh, £2 billion Coire Glas scheme. Planning consent was given in 2020 and a 1km exploratory tunnel has already been dug. With the final investment decision expected in 2026, the scheme could be generating power by 2033.

Note.

  1. This scheme is almost half the size of the world’s largest scheme in China.
  2. It is planned to take thirteen years to build from planning permission.
  3. The slightly smaller 1.7 GW/9.1 GWh Dinorwig power station took ten years to build and cost half a billion.

Pumped storage hydro powerstations consume a lot of time and money in the building phase.

The View Of An MSP Is Given

Michael Matheson MSP said this.

Working alongside the British Hydropower Association, it is my ambition that frank and open engagement can take place between industry, developers, and communities to ensure that Scotland maximises it’s PSH potential while delivering real improvements for communities and driving towards a sustainable economy and energy mix.

That’s a good attitude.

Scottish Pumped Storage Experience

Under this sub-heading three new large schemes are outlined.

  • Earba – 1.8 GW/40 GWh
  • Fearna – 1.8 GW/36 GWh
  • Glen Earrach Energy – 2 GW/34-46 GWh

Note.

  1. All seem to have at least initial planning permission.
  2. All are larger than Dinorwig.
  3. The three schemes total around 5.6 GW/ 116 GWh.

Scotland seems to be finding places to site these monster pumped storage hydro systems.

Cap & Floor For Pumped Storage Hydro

This paragraph talks about how the authorities and an energy company are talking about a better financial regime, that will encourage investment.

Gilkes Energy is also working with the UK Government and Ofgem to implement the Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) ‘Cap & Floor’ mechanism in 2025. This policy is expected to facilitate investment in PSH projects by addressing financial risks. Crompton noted that the mechanism has already attracted private investment for interconnectors and is expected to do the same for pumped storage.

Note.

  1. My experience with truck leasing and peer-to-peer lending, tells me, that if you want billions you can get it.
  2. Goldman Sachs has taken an interest in Highview Power, who are developing liquid-air batteries, which are up to 300 MW/ 3.2 GWh.
  3. Barclays have also invested in specialist batteries to charge electric buses, as I wrote in First Bus To Launch 1MW BESS Unit In Hampshire, Aberdeen To Follow.
  4. From what is said in World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, I can see big insurance companies like Aviva, helping to fund pumped storage hydro.

With pumped storage hydro, which is very much a scenic asset, the CEO of the investing company can have a nice picture on his wall.

Upgrading Sloy

The upgrading of Sloy hydro power station to a pumped storage hydro powerstation, is unusual, but the sort of practical idea, that engineers think up over a few pints of real ale.

These two paragraphs outline the Upgrade.

Back in April, SSE Renewables submitted a Section 36 planning application to the Scottish Government to convert the existing Sloy Power Station near Loch Lomond into a pumped storage hydro scheme. The proposal would see the station, which has operated since 1950, adapted to include a pumping capacity of up to 100MW, allowing it to deliver up to 16GWh of long-duration electricity storage. If approved, SSE plans to reach a final investment decision by late 2027, with the conversion completed and operational by the end of 2030.

The project would involve installing new pumps at the Inveruglas site, enabling water to be pumped from Loch Lomond to Loch Sloy during low electricity demand periods. This stored water would then be released to generate electricity when demand is higher. The application also includes a proposal to upgrade the station’s existing 32.5MW G4 turbine, which would raise the plant’s total generating capacity from 152.5MW to 160MW.

 

Note.

  1. Sloy has been operating for 76 years.
    It looks like it could be a 160 MW/ 16 GWh pumped storage hydro powerstation.
    I doubt there would be any planning problems.

With Cruachan pumped storage hydro powerstation and the 300 MW/3.2 GWh Highview Power battery at Hunterston, it would be one of a number of assets protecting Glasgow’s electricity supply.

New Ways To Use Water

This section starts with these two paragraphs.

As discussions at a recent webinar hosted by the International Hydropower Association highlighted, other technologies need to be able to step up to provide deep storage in locations where conventional pumped storage is unable to.

Gavin O’Leary is the Head of Electricity Storage Policy at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Explaining that although the UK has 2.8GW of Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) capacity installed in the form traditional pumped storage across four sites, he said: “We have not found the right model in a privatised electricity grid to incentivise development of storage.” And that’s why the country has gone over four decades without adding to its stockpile of long duration storage.

O’Leary also says, that it takes a long time to build.

Scalable Solution

This section starts with these two paragraphs.

Stephen Crosher is the CEO of RheEnergise, a company that is developing High-Density Hydro. Based on traditional pumped hydro storage, it claims to be solving the challenges the technology faces, such as lack of sites, environmental and social issues around flooding valleys, water abstraction, the time taken to consent and construct, plus distances from generation or demand.

RheEnergise’s solution is a form of gravitational energy storage that pumps proprietary fluid uphill. And with the LDES market predicted to be US$4 billion by 2040, with rapid scaling and exponential growth, Crosher says there is a “huge demand for solutions to solve the problems”.

High Density Hydro, the company believes, is a scalable pumped storage solution for the future.

As I thought so too, I invested a small amount of my pension.

Although RheEnergise looks good, there is one small drawback.

Although they’re “looking for small hills and not mountains” for prospective project sites, Crosher admits that elevation can be a prohibiting factor. Consequently in the UK, flatter areas such as East Anglia, along with other countries such as The Netherlands, won’t provide favourable conditions. However a small hill or mine or mine shaft will suffice. In fact, he said the company is currently assessing a 280m mine shaft in Wales.

But I do like the concept of a non-nuclear heavy water, with a specific gravity of 2.5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 12, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Environment, Finance & Investment | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UK Gov’t Tweaking CfD Rules Ahead Of 8th Allocation Round, Proposes ‘Other Deepwater Offshore Wind’ Category

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

The UK government has launched a consultation on proposed refinements to the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme ahead of Allocation Round 8 (AR8) and future rounds, including targeted changes to the terms concerning offshore wind and floating wind projects.

These two paragraphs add more details.

The consultation, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, seeks industry feedback on contractual and eligibility adjustments, some of which are intended to reflect the increasing scale and complexity of offshore wind developments, specifically floating and other deepwater projects.

For floating offshore wind, the government is proposing changes to CfD contract terms to better align with the technology’s development timelines. These include a proposed extension of the Longstop Period to give floating wind projects more time to commission and avoid termination of their CfD contract.

The government also wants to lower the Required Installed Capacity (RIC) threshold for floating offshore wind projects.

Currently, all CfD technologies are required to deliver a minimum of 95 per cent of the capacity they have contractually agreed to install, except for (fixed-bottom) offshore wind, whose RIC is set at 85 per cent to reflect the construction risks, such as encountering unsuitable seabed conditions after work has commenced. As floating wind projects, which were so far in the range of 100 MW, have grown in scale and complexity, the government plans to apply the same RIC requirement as for fixed-bottom offshore wind.

The CfD scheme currently supports two categories of offshore wind technology: fixed-bottom offshore wind and floating offshore wind, with the regulations in use (Allocation Regulations 2014) considering only the foundation designs that float to be floating offshore wind. With the ODOW category, the government wants to make room for the novel hybrid foundation designs, “which may be suitable for deepwater deployment but do not technically float and would therefore not be considered eligible as ‘floating foundations’ under the existing legal definition of ‘floating offshore wind’.”

This last paragraph sums up the reasons for the changes.

The proposed refinements are intended to ensure the CfD scheme remains fit for purpose as offshore wind technologies evolve, while maintaining investor confidence and supporting timely project delivery.

Hopefully developments at ports like Belfast, East Anglia, Inverness & Cromarty FreePort,Lowestoft and Tyne will encourage to develop wind farms around the shores of the UK.

December 18, 2025 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK To Launch Seventh CfD Auction In August, Offshore Wind Has Its Own AR7 Timeline

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

The UK government has published an indicative timeline for the Contract for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 7 (AR7), stating that it expects to open the auction in August and announce the results between late 2025 and early 2026. The timeline for offshore wind projects is now separate from that for other technologies, which will enable the confirmation of results as soon as possible, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

These first two paragraphs give more details of the Contract for Difference Auction.

The planned AR7 timeline for offshore wind, including both fixed-bottom and floating wind, sets the auction opening date between 7 to 27 August 2025, with results expected to be in from the second half of December 2025 to the second half of February 2026, depending on non-qualifying applicants requesting a Tier 1 review and/or Tier 2 appeal.

Before the launch of the seventh CfD allocation round, the government will publish Clean Industry Bonus results. This is scheduled for June.

I think this is going to be a very different Contract for Difference Auction to those held under the previous Conservative government.

  • Will prices be as high?
  • Will some regular companies in the auctions not bother to bid?
  • Will there be bids for onshore wind in England?

It will be quite, if not very interesting!

 

May 30, 2025 Posted by | Energy | , , , , | Leave a comment

DESNZ Launches Call For Evidence For Solar Carports In The UK

The title of this post is the same as this article on Solar Power Portal.

These three paragraphs introduce the article.

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched a call for evidence to help increase the number of solar-powered carports in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The likely result of this will be a mandate that car parks have a solar PV installation, as has been the case in France for some time.

Mandating solar on car parks has multiple benefits, which DESNZ is keen to emphasise. It says that a mandate would be a “better deal for motorists and businesses”

I may not be a fan of electric cars, but I’m certainly no fan of spreading solar panels over large areas of quality farmland.

There are some interesting statements.

Take this one.

DESNZ cites estimates that supermarkets, retail parks and offices could save up to £28,000 annually by installing solar carports (this figure calculated for an 80-space car park—the size that France mandates must be covered by solar PV) if all of the electricity generated by the solar array was used onsite.

£28,000 a year is not to be sneezed at!

And this one.

Earlier this year, Norwich-based RenEnergy, a solar carport provider, revealed that installing solar carports in more than half a million suitable parking spaces owned by UK businesses could generate 1.57GW of solar energy.

They do suggest that this figure only scratches the surface.

And then there’s this story from Bentley.

In 2019, Bentley Motors installed a solar car park at its headquarters in Crewe. The site’s 10,000 solar PV modules have a capacity of 2.7MW and cover an area of 16,426m². Along with other installed solar arrays and 6.6MW of battery energy storage, the car park enables all of Bentley’s manufacturing operations to be powered by solar or certified green energy.

How many other businesses could do that?

This Google Map shows the Bentley Motors site at Crewe.

Note.

  1. It appears to be a large site.
  2. Bentley employs over 4,000 employees at Crewe.
  3. In 2023, Bentley delivered 13, 560 cars.
  4. The solar car ports appear to be at the Western end of the site.
  5. There would appear to be a lot of scope to add more solar car ports at the Eastern end of the site.

Running along the Southern edge of the site is the North Wales Coast Line, which runs between Crewe and Chester and then on to North Wales.

I would have thought, that a case could be made out to have a station at the Bentley site for employees and visitors.

There also doesn’t seem to be the infrastructure, so that cars to some destinations can be delivered by train, like these from Toyota, which I photographed at Denmark Hill station, which were on the way to Europe, through the Channel Tunnel.

Perhaps sending luxury cars to their future owners by train is the wrong image.

 

 

May 8, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK’s First Offshore Hydrogen Production Trials Kick Off in South Wales

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

After six years of development, sustainability consultancy ERM has launched offshore trials to test its Dolphyn Hydrogen process which combines electrolysis, desalination, and hydrogen production on a floating wind platform, marking the first time hydrogen has been produced from seawater in a marine environment in the UK.

These are the first three paragraphs.

The trials conducted in Pembroke Port, South Wales, through July 2024 are said to represent an important step forward in enabling the UK to produce low-carbon hydrogen safely, reliably, and at scale.

In ERM’s Dolphyn Hydrogen process, hydrogen is transported to shore via a pipeline and it can be used directly for power generation, transport, industrial purposes, and heating.

The development of the Dolphyn Hydrogen process has been supported by the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, through the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition in the GBP 1 billion (approximately USD 1.2 billion) Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP). It has been awarded funding of over GBP 8 million (about USD 10.13 million) to date and has also been championed by devolved Governments in Wales and Scotland.

There’s more about Dolphyn Hydrogen on their web site.

Conclusion

This self-contained floating hydrogen factory could be very useful operating either singly or as a small fleet.

It would help if Dolphyn Hydrogen disclosed some hydrogen production capacities.

This is said in a press release.

The pilot project at Vattenfall’s Offshore Wind Farm in Aberdeen Bay will have an output of 8.8MW and will be able to produce enough hydrogen every day to power a hydrogen bus to travel 24,000km.

That looks about right.

I shall be following Dolphyn Hydrogen.

 

 

July 3, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rheenergise & University Partners Secure £1M Grant From UK Government

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Reenergise.

This is the sub-heading.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero funded research project will identify and test minerals and discarded wastes for use in RheEnergise’s grid scale hydro energy storage system.

And these are the first three paragraphs.

In partnership with the University of Greenwich and the University of Exeter, RheEnergise, the UK company that is developing a new and advanced form of pumped hydro-energy storage, has secured a grant of £1 million funded through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) as part of the UK Government’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund. The government grant will fund work to identify and test waste materials that could be used in the high-density fluid (HDF) that is integral to RheEnergise’s grid-scale High-Density Hydro® energy storage system. The HDF is an environmentally benign alternative to water.

RheEnergise’s long duration storage system is low-cost and energy efficient. The fluid used in the system is 2½ times denser than water (similar in viscosity to cream) and is therefore able to provide 2½ times the power and 2½ times the energy when compared to conventional low-density hydro-power systems that rely on water and operate in the Scottish Highlands, Wales and across Europe. It means that RheEnergise can deploy its long duration energy storage system beneath the surface of hills rather than mountains, so opening up massive commercial opportunities in the UK, Europe and further afield.

The research project, funded by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, wants to identify suitable minerals and waste streams which can be recycled into the high-density fluid which can be locally sourced and are lower-cost, rather than having to rely on minerals imported from overseas.

I feel the concept of High-Density Hydro is excellent and will work.

If this research leads to lower costs, that can only help the development and deployment of High-Density Hydro.

February 9, 2023 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , | 1 Comment