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

Can A ‘Secret Sauce’ Help Store Renewable Energy?

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

This is the sub-heading.

The US-Israel war with Iran has led to higher electricity bills and put the issue of energy security back in the spotlight.

These two paragraphs add more detail to the story.

Now a pilot project inspired by a 100-year-old idea aims to store renewable energy.

Those behind the high density hydro demonstrator scheme near Plymouth say the technology can “turn small hills into giant batteries”, as part of the transition away from fossil fuels.

This is one of those stories, that could only emerge in the UK.

If you have the time, click on the link to the BBC article and read it in full.

I have a feeling, that the world will be hearing a lot about RheEnergise.

I asked Google AI, “How Much Energy Can A RheEnergise Battery Store”, and received this reply.

A RheEnergise system acts like pumped-storage hydro, using a dense fluid instead of water to store energy.

Planned commercial facilities are designed to store 2 to 16 hours of energy capacity, offering between 10 MW and 50 MW of power generation.

The exact energy storage figures for their deployments scale depending on the site requirements.

The breakdown of how these installations store and yield energy includes:

Commercial-Scale Capacity: A standard commercial site ranging from 10 MW to 50 MW will yield between 20 MWh and 800 MWh of total energy output (based on operating at full capacity for 2 to 16 hours).

The “Secret Sauce”: The system uses a proprietary fluid called R-19, which is 2.5 times denser than water.

This density allows the system to generate 2.5× more power and energy from the same physical footprint and vertical drop compared to traditional water-based facilities.

Real-World Pilot: The company operates a 500 kW demonstrator project at Cornwood near Plymouth, UK. This smaller test-bed, if run continually, generates energy equivalent to powering about 400 homes for an entire year.

Zero Seasonal Losses: Unlike chemical batteries (like lithium-ion) that degrade and lose charge over time, pumped hydro setups suffer virtually zero energy loss while the fluid sits idle.

 

June 12, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Future Of Drax Power Station

This first paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Drax power station gives a factual  description of the power station.

Drax power station is a large biomass power station in Drax, North Yorkshire, England. It has a 2.6 GW capacity for biomass and had a 1.29 GW capacity for coal that was retired in 2021. Its name comes from the nearby village of Drax. It is situated on the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. Its generating capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW), which includes the shut down coal units, is the highest of any power station in the United Kingdom, providing about 6% of the United Kingdom’s electricity supply.

This second extract from Wikipedia gives details of its current biomass contract and subsidy.

Drax’s subsidy scheme was scheduled to end in 2027, with Drax arguing for an extension to 2030. In February 2025, the UK government extended its operation from 2027 to 2031, but at a reduced 27% maximum load factor using 100% sustainable wood, so it would run “less than half as often as it currently does”, generally only at times of high electricity demand. Drax was given a contract for difference at £113/MWh in 2012 pounds, CPI inflation linked so about £155/MWh in 2025.

Note.

  1. Rishi Sunak’s Government extended the contract.
  2. It will now run on 100% sustainable wood, which includes sources like sawmill residues, forest thinnings and certain agricultural products.
  3. It has a similar type of contract to wind farms and energy storage.

I asked Google AI,”Does Drax Power Station Provide Grid Stability?, and received this answer.

Yes, Drax Power Station—along with its affiliated hydro assets—provides critical grid stability to the UK. As the UK’s power grid shifts toward intermittent renewables like wind and solar, Drax’s dispatchable generation and specialized system support services help maintain a secure electricity network.

The key stability services provided by the Drax portfolio include:

Inertia: Drax’s large spinning turbines and pumped hydro facilities provide vital inertia to the grid. This acts like a shock absorber, helping to control changes in frequency (maintaining 50Hz) and preventing power cuts.

Reactive Power: The facilities help manage voltage support and move power efficiently across different parts of the network.

Dispatchable Power: Unlike weather-dependent generation, Drax’s biomass and hydro plants can be ramped up or down on demand, providing firm capacity and flexible response to real-time grid needs.

Pumped Storage Support: Through its subsidiary Cruachan Power Station in Scotland, Drax operates a pumped hydro storage plant that actively balances supply and demand and holds specialized stability contracts with the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO).

So if you love or loathe the power station, it does a lot more than burn biomass to generate electricity.

Drax Power Station And Eastern Green Link Two

The Eastern Green Link Two web site is here.

This is the sub-heading

Eastern Green Link 2 (known as EGL2) is one of the most significant strategic energy infrastructure developments the UK has seen in recent years, connecting the north of Scotland to Yorkshire via the sea.

These two initial paragraphs gives more details.

EGL2 is a 505km electricity superhighway which will enable the transfer of power from Scotland to England (and vice versa) via a subsea cable. This two-gigawatt high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable is connecting Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire and once operational, will carry enough electricity to power two million homes.

EGL2 will scale up the UK’s capacity to transport home-produced clean energy, predominantly from offshore wind, from where it is generated to where there is demand. By doing so it will increase the security, resilience, and stability of the UK’s transmission network.

EGL2 is the second of a planned seven interconnectors between Scotland and the South.

The first was the Western HVDC Link between Hunterston in Scotland and Flintshire Bridge in Wales, which became operational in 2013.

EGL2 will go between Peterhead in Scotland and Drax power station.

So electricity from Scotland will be able to replace up to two GW of the biomass, that Drax power station currently uses as fuel.

Drax And Solar Power

This Google Map shows Drax power station.

If Drax wanted to add solar power to the site, I’m sure it would be possible.

  • There is plenty of space.
  • There is a substantial connection to the electricity grid.

After the purchase of Bluefield Solar Income Fund, Drax probably are well-placed to develop as much solar-power as they need.

 

 

 

 

 

June 3, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SSE And Centrica Lifted As UK Moves Wind And Solar Farms To Fixed-Price Contracts

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Proactive Investor.

These two paragraphs add more detail.

Shares in SSE PLC (LSE:SSE), Centrica and several renewable energy investment companies rose after the UK government confirmed plans to move older wind and solar farms onto fixed-price contracts, or else be hit with higher windfall taxes.

SSE, which owns windfarms and hydroelectric power plants, saw its share climb 3.3% to 2,610p on Tuesday, while fellow FTSE 100-listed energy producer Centrica PLC (LSE:CNA), which owns British Gas, and FTSE 250-listed biomass burner Drax Group (LSE:DRX) were up 2.3% and 1.8%.

In World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, I posted an article, about why insurance companies invest in renewables.

I suspect someone has come up with an idea to make wind farms more attractive for long term investors.

The new mechanism are called Wholsale Contracts for Different and have this aim.

The move is aimed at breaking the link between electricity prices and gas in the UK, as wholesale power prices are currently set based on the gas price, despite renewables generating a growing share of power.

The proposed wholesale CfDs would target legacy assets

This can only be good for the UK, as we have so many long term renewables.

I also wonder, whether they will make Highview Power’s liquid air batteries a worthwhile investment?

April 21, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Finance & Investment | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Liquid Air Alternative To Fossil Fuels

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC Future Web Site.

It is also one of the best articles, I’ve read on the economics of liquid-air energy storage.

This is the sub-heading.

An overlooked technology for nearly 50 years, the world’s largest liquid air energy storage facility is finally set to power up in 2026. It’s hoping to compete with grid-scale lithium batteries and hydro to store clean power, and reduce the need to fall back on fossil fuels.

These three introductory paragraphs add detail to the project.

As the world’s use of renewable electricity soars, surpassing coal for the first time, the need to store that energy when the Sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing is growing in step. While some turn to grid-scale lithium batteries and others to pumped hydro, a small but growing industry is convinced there’s a better solution still: batteries that rely on air.

Near the village of Carrington in north-west England, the foundations are being laid for the world’s largest commercial-scale liquid air energy storage facility, one of the first of its kind. The site will eventually become an array of industrial machinery and a number of large storage tanks, filled with air that has been compressed and cooled so much it has become a liquid, using renewable energy surplus to demand. The stored energy can be discharged later when demand exceeds supply.

If the project succeeds, more will follow. The site’s developers Highview Power are confident that liquid air energy storage will make it easier for countries to replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy – though at present, the technology is expensive. But as the need for clean energy storage surges, they’re betting the balance will tip in favour of liquid air.

The BBC article, seems to have been written with input from Shaylin Cetegen, a chemical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who studies energy storage systems.

Topics discussed include.

  • The intermittency problem of renewables and how this gives problems for the stability of electricity grids.
  • The switchable nature of fossil-fuel power generation.
  • A big part of the solution is to store the surplus energy so that it can be released when it’s needed. Think of it like an electricity deposit account!
  • For decades, the main form of energy storage has been pumped hydro. In 2021, the world had 160 GW of pumped hydro capacity. The UK has a total of just 3 GW in Scotland and Wales! But more is on the way!
  • Recently, large-scale battery storage systems have risen to the challenge and installed capacity has risen from 55.7 GW in 2023 to 150 GW / 348 GWh in 2025.
  • The liquid air solution is then explained.
  • A grid-scale stop-gap, that is the 30 MW/300 MWh Manchester hybrid liquid-air battery, is then described.
  • In August 2026, the battery is set to begin operating.
  • An alternative way of stabilising the grid will be provided.
  • It will come online in two stages, says Highview Power CEO Richard Butland.
  • Then in 2027 the liquid air storage is expected to begin fully operating.

Highview Power will make money by trading electricity, as pumped storage operators do.

The penultimate section of the article looks at the bottom line and comes to these conclusions.

Instead, she says governments could support the technology. In her study, subsidising the initial capital costs to set up the systems “could be a viable approach to achieve economic viability in the short term”, she says.

Furthermore, faster uptake of renewables would increase energy price volatility, making energy storage more economically viable.

Cetegen makes a final point in favour of liquid air energy storage: it’s cheap. Energy storage technologies are often assessed using a metric called the “levelised cost of storage”, which estimates how much each unit of stored energy costs over the lifespan of the project. For liquid air, this can be as low as $45 (£34) per megawatt-hour – compared to $120 (£89) for pumped hydro and $175 (£130) for lithium-ion batteries.

“While none of these storage methods are likely economically viable right now without policy support, liquid air energy storage stands out as a particularly cost-effective option for large-scale storage,” Cotegen says.

Ultimately, Butland expects electricity grids to rely on a mix of storage technologies. Pumped hydro is extremely effective and works for decades, but it’s location-dependent because it needs a water supply. Meanwhile, batteries are highly efficient and can be placed anywhere, but need to be replaced after about 10 years. Liquid air has the advantage that it can store energy for longer than batteries, with minimal losses.

As any country enters the green transition, its electricity grid needs to be remodelled to cope. “We’re rebuilding all grids globally, based on new generation,” says Butland. And that could well mean a lot of liquid air energy storage.

 

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Polanski And Farage Don’t Agree. But They Have More In Common Than You Might Think

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC, by Laura Kuenssberg.

It is very much a must read article comparing two of the most controversial party leaders in the UK.

This is the sub-heading.

One is a former stockbroker from the south who, by his own proud admission, loves smoking, drinking and women. The other’s a proud vegan, gay, northern former actor, who told me he’d never drunk a drop.

These first three paragraphs add detail to the story.

But the jubilant Zack Polanski and Nigel Farage have rather a lot in common.

Before you scream, burst out laughing, or think I have lost my marbles, of course, there are very big differences between them.

The Greens talk about a climate emergency. Reform UK calls the government green plans, “net stupid zero”.

This is Laura’s summing up of the Terrible Twins.

Their views on the cause of Britain’s pain vary wildly.

The Greens might point the finger at the super-rich, the “donor billionaires” they often cite. Reform often blames immigration, which they controversially characterise as an “invasion” of people arriving in the UK without permission.

But both parties feed off and stir up sentiment that’s felt by lots of the public: that Britain doesn’t work any more.

Whether it’s the new Green MP saying “working hard used to get you something” in her victory speech, or Nigel Farage repeatedly telling us “Britain is broken”, the same argument flows from both: that the country is in such a dreadful state that only new political saviours can fix it.

And both Reform and the Greens are willing to push the conventions of what traditional UK politicians would find acceptable – or what they believe would make them electable.

That’s not just about their image or the unstuffy ways they court publicity – Nigel Farage willingly going into the I’m A Celebrity jungle, or Zack Polanski being seen on a dance floor in campaign videos – but how they choose to focus on sensitive issues, where others might not choose to tread.

I would disagree that Britain is broken, but that it needs someone with sensible policies that everybody can get behind.

The Greens policies on the super-rich would drive anybody with ambition and money from this country and already countries like Canada are advertising for migrants.

With two immigrant lines, Farage is everything my father thought was bad about Oswald Mosley and his fascists in the 1930s. If a Reform UK Government started rounding up illegal immigrants on the streets, the violence would probable be enormous.

 

How Much Renewable Energy Will The UK Be Generating By 2030?

I have to admit, that whether you like the Tories or not, they have developed an energy generation policy and an energy relationship with Germany, that appears to be working and is allowing the current Government to do a bit of spending on defence and other needs.

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.

The UK government has set an ambitious target to reach 95% low-carbon electricity generation by 2030, aiming for a system driven by 43-50 GW of offshore wind, 27-29 GW of onshore wind, and 45-47 GW of solar power. This plan aims to dramatically reduce fossil fuel reliance, supported by 23-27 GW of battery capacity.

Key 2030 Renewable Energy Projections & Targets:

Total Clean Power Goal: The goal is 95% of electricity from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear) by 2030, up from roughly 74% in 2024.

Offshore Wind: Target of 43-50 GW, deemed crucial to powering the grid.

Onshore Wind: Target of 27-29 GW, with recent policy changes lifting bans to accelerate development.

Solar Power: Target of 45-47 GW, aiming to triple current capacity.

Flexibility: 23-27 GW of battery capacity and 4-6 GW of long-duration storage are needed to manage intermittency.

Challenges and Forecasts:

Shortfall Risks: While the government target is high, some projections suggest wind and solar may only account for 44% of generation by 2030, requiring significant acceleration to reach the 95% clean goal.

Investment Needs: Achieving these goals requires an estimated £48 billion in additional investment, on top of planned projects.

Progress: In 2024, renewable sources already hit a record of over 50% in certain quarters, with low-carbon sources overall (including nuclear) providing nearly 70% of generation.

My Thoughts

I will add some of my thoughts.

Electricity Demand: As I write, according to National Grid: Live it is 33.3 GW, which is met by with Production of 27.1 GW and Transfers of 6.2 GW.

Electricity Production: In 2030, I believe that if the UK has long-term battery capacity of something like 4 GW/40 GWh, that total UK electricity production could be upwards of 125 GW.

Hinckley Point C Power Station: This should add 1.6 GW in 2030 and 2031 to further boost UK electricity production.

Pumped Storage Hydro: In How Much Pumped Storage Hydro Will Be Operational In The UK By 2030?, I estimate that the Bank of England standard of energy storage, will add 5 GW of electricity production.

Highview Power: Highview Power are developing long duration liquid-air energy storage and have identified locations for sixteen 300 MW/3.2 GWh monsters.

Excess Electricity Production: This will be exported, either as electricity or after conversion to hydrogen. It will be a Magic Money Forest for the victor of the General Election in 2029.

If Hinckley Point C, the pumped storage hydro and Highview Power’s batteries work as their engineers hope, then the result of the next General Election will be predictable.

It is certainly, Kier Starmer’s to win, by getting the energy right!

Highview Power And The 2029 General Election

Every extra GWh added to energy storage has the following affect.

It will mean that more wind farms will not have to be switched in times of high wind and over production, as the electricity can be stored.

At the present time, there are four ways of storing energy.

  1. Turn it into hydrogen. But the Hindenberg did a good PR job for not using hydrogen.
  2. Store it in a pumped storage hydro system, but these have problems with their large land use.
  3. Store it in a large lithium battery, but these have problems  with fire risks and need a large amount of expensive lithium.
  4. Store it in one of Highview Power’s liquid air batteries.

I believe that Highview Power’s liquid-air long duration batteries, have several advantages.

  • They are built from readily available components.
  • They can be scaled to the need at the location, where they are installed.
  • A small one is 50 MW/300 MWh and a large one is 300 MW/3.2 GWh.
  • The batteries come with grid stabilisation and other features.
  • The batteries have a lifespan of greater than 50 years
  • The energy storage fluid, is captured from the air.
  • They are a product, that would be easy to finance in quantity.
  • Goldman Sachs is an investor.
  • A village with a power problem could fund a Highview Power battery and have a nice little earner, with perhaps a wind turbine on a nearby hill.
  • Centrica is an investor.

If a politician were to understand it, it could wind them the next General Election.

 

 

February 28, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, World | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Baltic Sea Interconnector On Horizon As Lithuania, Latvia, and Germany Plan Cross-Border Link

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

This is the sub-heading.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Germany are planning a joint offshore interconnector that would enable electricity trading between the Baltic countries and Germany and allow for the integration of up to 2 GW of offshore wind capacity in Lithuania and Latvia

These first two paragraphs add more detail to the article.

The energy ministers of the three countries signed a joint declaration of intent on 18 February, paving the way for the development of the Baltic-German PowerLink interconnector, which would, in addition to electricity trading and offshore wind capacity integration, also enable the expansion of onshore renewable energy capacity.

The Lithuanian, Latvian, and German transmission system operators (TSOs) – Litgrid, Augstsprieguma tīkls and 50Hertz – agreed to assess the feasibility of the hybrid electricity interconnection.

As Germany, has the following connections under development in the West.

  • AquaVentus to Aberdeen, Humberside, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands.
  • NeuConnect to the Isle of Grain In England.
  • GriffinLink, which is an offshore link to England.

The Germans seem to be putting themselves at the centre of an energy distribution system, that has the capability to stabilise European and UK electricity  for thousands of years. Especially, if the network grows to include more countries.

This paragraph says this about the Baltic-German PowerLink project.

The Baltic-German PowerLink project concept developed by Litgrid, Augstsprieguma tīkls, and 50Hertz includes a 2 GW, approximately 600 kilometres long hybrid offshore connection, with the connection point in the Baltic States planned to be on the border between Lithuania and Latvia. The exact location is to be determined after technical studies.

Note.

  1. The interconnectors may be long, but they are not longer than anything built successfully before in European waters.
  2. The UK and the Island of Ireland are well-linked.
  3. There would appear to be no need for challenging projects like the Morocco-UK Power Project

I suspect that Germany will get the energy it needs and the British Isles will get a nice little earner.

If Europe is generating large amounts of wind and solar energy with its variable output it will need lots of energy storage.

What Countries Have The Terrain For Pumped Storage Hydro In Europe?

I asked Google AI and received this answer.

Key countries with ideal, high-elevation terrain and significant existing or planned capacity include:

Alpine Region (The Heart of European Pumped Storage):

Switzerland: Extremely high capacity due to steep, mountainous landscapes and significant water sources, hosting the world’s oldest working pumped storage plant.

Austria: Heavily mountainous, it is a major player in PSH expansion and modernization.

France: Home to one of Europe’s largest, the Grand Maison hydroelectric power station.

Italy: Holds high capacity with numerous planned projects.

Germany: Strong existing infrastructure.

Southern Europe:

Spain: Features some of Europe’s largest plants (e.g., La Muela/Cortes-La Muela).

Portugal: Significant recent investment in large-scale projects like the Tâmega complex.

Other Potential Areas:

Norway: High potential due to its mountainous, water-rich terrain.

United Kingdom: High project volume currently under construction.

Balkans & Central Europe:

Countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and the Czech Republic have suitable terrain for further development.

These countries benefit from significant hydraulic head (steep drop) and natural or artificial reservoir potential, making them ideal for storing energy for peak consumption hours.

Note.

  1. As expected, the Alpine region is Top of the League.
  2. The UK is holding its own despite its small mountains.
  3. There is a lot of potential to be developed.

But then Electric Mountain in Snowdonia is certainly at the top table of pumped storage systems despite being built in the 1980s.

What Countries Have The Terrain For Hydrogen Storage In Europe?

I asked Google AI and received this answer.

Key European countries with suitable geological terrain—specifically salt caverns and depleted gas fields—for large-scale, underground hydrogen storage include Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and France. Other significant regions for storage potential include Spain, Hungary, and Austria, which are developing porous storage facilities.

Key Regions & Terrain Types:

Salt Caverns (North-Western Europe): Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and the UK have substantial salt deposits suitable for creating caverns, identified as cost-efficient for large-scale storage.

Depleted Gas Fields (Porous Rock): The Netherlands, Germany, and parts of Central/Southern Europe (Spain, Hungary) have significant capacity in existing porous storage, particularly in the North Sea region.

Specific Projects: Germany (Uniper’s Krummhörn project), Netherlands (HyStock), and France (HYPSTER at Etrez) are active, with Spain and Denmark emerging as major hydrogen hubs.

Capacity Potential: The Netherlands, for instance, holds massive potential (35-60 TWh) due to its offshore and onshore depleted fields.

Salt cavern projects, which offer high-deliverability storage, are heavily concentrated in the North-Western European industrial corridor.

I was lucky enough have a tour of ICI’s salt mine in Cheshire, when I worked there in the 1960s and I remember these facts from those days.

  • There was enough salt in the ground under Cheshire to last several thousand years.
  • Most salt was extracted from boreholes,  for making chlorine using electrolysis and the Castner-Kellner process.
  • Hydrogen was a by-product and much of it was mixed with coal gas to raise steam for the works.

The same technique used to make boreholes to extract the salt, is used to hollow caverns in the salt to store gases like hydrogen.

Once, when they were digging salt out of the salt mine at Winsford, a worker broke into an unmarked borehole and ICI nearly lost the mine because of the water rushing in.

Two stories stand out from the rescue of the mine.

  • There was a need for dry clothes for all the workers, so ICI took a truck to Marks & Spencer in Northwich and emptied it of anything they might need. I was told the story enriched with plagues of locusts.
  • A Ford Transit was found to have travelled a few thousand miles underground in axle deep salt slurry. Rather, than scrap it and buy another, it was offered back to Ford, who were delighted to swap it for a new one. I heard that Ford said, that the accelerated corrosion research would have taken many years, if done on the roads.

Always think out of the box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 25, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Renewable Power By 2030 In The UK

 

I am doing this to see what the total output will be by the net election.

Offshore Wind Power

I shall start with offshore wind power.

  • Operational in July 2025 – 16,035 MW
  • 2025 – Dogger Bank A – 1,235 MW
  • 2026 – Sofia – 1,400 MW
  • 2026 – Dogger Bank B – 1,235 MW
  • 2026 – East Anglia 1 North – 800 MW
  • 2026 – East Anglia 3 – 1,372 MW
  • 2027 – Dogger Bank C – 1,218 MW
  • 2027 – Hornsea 3 – 2,852 MW
  • 2027 – Inch Cape – 1,080 MW
  • 2027 – Llŷr 1 – 100 MW
  • 2027 – Llŷr 2 – 100 MW
  • 2027 – Norfolk Boreas – 1,380 M
  • 2027 – Whitecross – 100 MW
  • 2028 – Aspen – 1008 MW
  • 2028 – Morecambe – 480 MW
  • 2028 – Ossian – 2,610 MW
  • 2028 – Stromar – 900 MW
  • 2029 – Beech – 1008 MW
  • 2029 – East Anglia 2 – 967 MW
  • 2029 – Green Volt – 400 MW
  • 2029 – Mona – 1,500 MW
  • 2029 – Morgan – 1,500 MW
  • 2029 – Norfolk Vanguard East – 1,380 MW
  • 2029 – Norfolk Vanguard West – 1,380 MW
  • 2029 – North Falls – 504 MW
  • 2029 – West of Orkney – 2,000 MW
  • 2030 – Awel y Môr – 500 MW
  • 2030 – Bellrock – 1,200 MW
  • 2030 – Berwick Bank – 4,100 MW
  • 2030 – Caledonia – 2,000 MW
  • 2030 – Cedar – 1008 MW
  • 2030 – Five Estuaries – 353 MW
  • 2030 – Morven – 2,907 MW
  • 2030 – N3 Project – 495 MW
  • 2030 – Outer Dowsing – 1,500 MW
  • 2030 – Rampion 2 Extension – 1,200 MW

This gives these yearly totals, if I use pessimistic dates.

  • 2025 – 1,235 MW
  • 2026 – 4,807 MW
  • 2027 – 5,350 MW
  • 2028 – 4,998 MW
  • 2029 – 9,631 MW
  • 2030 – 15,263 MW

This adds up to a total of 58,897 MW.

Solar Power

For solar power, I just asked Google AI and received this answer.

The UK government aims to have between 45 and 47 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity by 2030. This goal is set out in the Solar Roadmap and aims to reduce energy bills and support the UK’s clean power objectives. The roadmap includes measures like installing solar on new homes and buildings, exploring solar carports, and improving access to rooftop solar for renters.

Let’s assume that we only achieve the lowest value of 45 GW.

But that will still give us at least 100 GW of renewable zero-carbon power.

Energy Storage

For pumped storage hydro, I asked Google AI and received this answer.

The UK’s pumped storage hydro (PSH) capacity is projected to more than double by 2030, with six projects in Scotland, including Coire Glas and Cruachan 2, potentially increasing capacity to around 7.7 GW from the current approximately 3 GW. This would be a significant step towards meeting the National Grid’s required 13 GW of new energy storage by 2030, though achieving this depends on policy support and investment.

It looks like there is about another 5 GW of capacity to find.

 

August 12, 2025 Posted by | Energy Storage | , , , , , | 5 Comments

Glen Earrach Energy (GEE) To Give £20m Per Year To Highland Communities

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Inverness Courier.

These two paragraphs introduce the article.

The announcement is underpinned by the publication of a new developer-led research report, the first of its kind in the UK energy sector, which brings together national polling, public consultation, and direct input from communities.

The report marks a major step in the development of the fund, setting out emerging priorities, design principles and governance themes that reflect what GEE has heard to date and will help guide the next phase of engagement.

Other points from the article include.

Size And Delivery

This is said about the size and delivery of the project.

Subject to planning, the project will provide up to 34GWh of long-duration energy storage in 2030.

All these projects seem to be on course for delivery by 2030. Mr. Ed. Milliband will be pleased.

The Community Wealth Fund

This is said about the Community Wealth Fund.

The fund will be rooted in the communities that share the key water resource underpinning the scheme, with scope to contribute to wider regional projects, including contributions to a Strategic Fund for the Highlands as a whole.

“The GEE Community Wealth Fund is about more than sharing the benefits of clean energy, it is about creating long-term value for the communities who make this project possible.

As the grandmother of all pumped storage hydro in the UK; Electric Mountain, started storing energy and producing power in 1984, the Community Wealth Fund should last a few years.

 

June 9, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , | Leave a comment

Mountain Marvel: How One Of Biggest Batteries In Europe Uses Thousands Of Gallons Of Water To Stop Blackouts

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

This is the sub-heading.

Much-loved’ Dinorwig hydroelectric energy storage site in Wales has a vital role to play in keeping the lights on

These are the first three paragraphs of the article.

Seconds after a catastrophic series of power outages struck across the UK in the summer of 2019, a phone rang in the control room of the Dinorwig hydropower plant in north Wales. It was Britain’s energy system operator requesting an immediate deluge of electricity to help prevent a wide-scale blackout crippling Britain’s power grids.

The response was swift, and in the end just under one million people were left without power for less than 45 minutes. While trains were stuck on lines for hours and hospitals had to revert to backup generators, that phone call prevented Britain’s worst blackout in a decade from being far more severe.

Almost six years later, the owners of Dinorwig, and its sister plant at Ffestiniog on the boundary of Eryri national park, formerly Snowdonia, are preparing to pump up to £1bn into a 10-year refurbishment of the hydropower plants that have quietly helped to keep the lights on for decades.

This is one of the best articles, I have read about pumped storage hydroelectricity.

It is very much a must read.

May 25, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , | 1 Comment

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