Fifth Hydro Project Proposed At Loch Ness
The title of this post. is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The local community is to be asked for its views next week on plans for a new hydro-electric scheme at Loch Ness.
These three paragraphs introduce the new scheme.
Glen Earrach Energy’s, external (GEE) pumped storage hydro project is the fifth hydro scheme proposed for the Loch Ness area.
The company said its project on Balmacaan Estate would create clean energy while protecting the environment, and create 600 on-site jobs.
But concerns have been raised about the number of planned schemes, with Ness District Salmon Fishery Board worried about the effect on wild fish.
The project has a web site, which has a section entitled About The Project, where this is said.
Glen Earrach Energy, which means “Valley of Spring” in Gaelic, stands at the forefront of energy innovation. The Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) project, located at Balmacaan Estate, Scotland, is a critical component for achieving a net-zero grid by 2030.
The project prioritises environmental preservation and biodiversity enhancement while achieving outstanding efficiency in energy storage and generation.
This ensures a healthier and more sustainable balance between harnessing natural energy resources and the maintenance and reinforcement of the surrounding ecosystem.
Note.
- It doesn’t say, but it looks like Glen Earrach Energy aim to complete the project by 2030.
- Glen Earrach Energy also seem to be playing a strong environmental card.
But nothing is said about the size of the project.
This article on Business Insider, which is entitled £3 billion Loch Ness Hydro Project Plans Unveiled, does give some details.
- Potential Investment – More than £2 billion
- Output – 2 GW
- Storage Capacity – 30 GWh
- The project could create at least 600 on-site construction jobs in Scotland over a six-year period, plus many thousands more locally in the supply chain.
It is larger, than SSE’s flagship Coire Glas pumped storage hydroelectric power station, which is planned to be a 1.5 GW/30 GWh station, at the other end of the Great Glen.
I have some thoughts.
The Existing Hydro Schemes On Loch Ness
According to the BBC article, there are two existing hydro schemes on Loch Ness.
- Foyers is described on this web site and is a reasonably modern 305 MW/6.3 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that was built by SSE Renewables in the last fifty years.
- Glendoe is described on this web site and is a modern 106.5 MW conventional hydroelectric power station, that was built by SSE Renewables in the last twenty years.
Foyers and Glendoe may not be the biggest hydroelectric power stations, but they’re up there in size with most solar and onshore wind farms. Perhaps we should look for sites to develop 100 MW hydroelectric power stations?
The Proposed Hydro Schemes On Loch Ness
According to the BBC article, there are four proposed hydro schemes on Loch Ness.
- Coire Glas is described on this web site and will be a 1.5GW/30 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that is being developed by SSE Renewables.
- Fearna is described on this web site and will be a 1.8GW/37 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that is being developed by Gilkes Energy.
- Loch Kemp is described on this web site and will be a 600MW/9 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that is being developed by Statera.
- Loch Na Cathrach is described on this web site and will be a 450MW/2.8 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that is being developed by Statktaft.
In addition there is, there is the recently announced Glen Earrach.
- Glen Earrach is described on this web site and will be a 2GW/30 GWh pumped storage hydroelectric power station, that is being developed by Glen Earrach Energy.
Note.
- The total power of the seven pumped storage hydroelectric power stations is 4.76 GW.
- The total storage capacity is 85.1 GWh.
The storage capacity is enough to run all turbines flat out for nearly five hours.
Could Glendoe Be Updated To Pumped Storage?
The Wikipedia entry for the Glendoe Hydro Scheme mentions pumped storage several times.
In Glendoe Hydro Power Station, I estimate that a Glendoe pumped storage scheme could be perhaps 50 % bigger than the system at Foyers.
I feel that if more storage capacity is needed in the Highlands, then Glendoe could be converted to pumped storage.
Coire Glas Exploratory Tunnel 70% Complete
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in Ground Engineering.
This is the sub-heading.
A tunnel to investigate ground conditions at SSE Renewables’ Coire Glas project to build a pumped hydro scheme in the Scottish Highlands is 70% complete, as wider ground investigations come to an end.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Coire Glas on the shores of Loch Lochy in Great Glen is the first large scale pumped hydro storage scheme to be developed in the UK for more than 40 years.
It would take excess energy from the grid and use it to pump water 500m up a hill from Loch Lochy to a vast reservoir where it would be stored. This will be done through a tailrace tunnel, underground cavern power station, high pressure tunnel and low-pressure headrace tunnel.
SSE Renewables has started exploratory works on the scheme. This has involved building an up to 1km long and 4m wide tunnel to investigate the ground conditions in which the powerhouse will be built.
All the information gathered will be used in the detailed design of the 1,5GW/30 GWh pumped storage system, which is expected to be a £1.5 billion capital investment.
The Wikipedia entry for Coire Glas power station, says this about the current status and completion.
In December 2023, the exploratory tunnel had reached 720m in length.
A final investment decision will depend on UK government assurances about how the regulated electricity market would reward storage schemes. SSE hope to make that £1.5Bn decision in 2024, in which case the scheme could be completed in 2031.
I suspect that as this is one of the largest green energy projects in the UK, that there’ll be a lot of media coverage of the construction of this power station.
SSE Partners With Bord na Móna On 800MW Onshore Wind JV In Ireland
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These four bullet points, act as sub-headings.
- Leading low-carbon energy companies SSE Renewables and Bord na Móna continue to progress their respective portfolios in Ireland, by partnering to develop new onshore wind energy projects across the Midlands.
- More than €1 billion could be invested by the joint venture partnership to develop up to 800MW of new renewable energy projects, enough to provide power to over 450,000 homes.
- Onshore wind farm projects to be developed as part of the portfolio will include Lemanaghan Wind Farm in north-west Offaly, Littleton Wind Farm in Tipperary, and Garryhinch Wind Farm on the Laois Offaly border.
- The partnership has the potential to support hundreds of jobs across the Midlands during construction and operation of the onshore wind projects.
Note.
- It is a 50:50 project between SSE Renewables and Bord na Móna.
- It will deliver 800 MW of onshore wind energy.
These link to the three web sites for the wind farms.
- Lemanaghan Wind Farm will be 80-100 MW
- Littleton Wind Farm will be 60-80 MW
- Garryhinch Wind Farm will be 60-80 MW
These must be the first phases, as they are nowhere near 800 MW.
There is an interesting comparison to be made here.
- As I said in Wind Farm: Yorkshire Moors Could Get England’s Biggest Wind Farm, it looks like a 304 MW wind farm on England will be controversial.
- The 539 MW Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow is the largest onshore wind farm in the UK.
- The republic of Ireland is building three schemes totalling 800 MW in the Irish Midlands.
So why does England object?
Consultation On Plans For Keadby Hydrogen Power Station To Begin
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These four paragraphs outline the project
SSE and Equinor will consult on plans for a new hydrogen-fired power station in North Lincolnshire which would provide vital new reliable and flexible capacity to the electricity system.
Keadby Hydrogen Power Station is a proposed 900MW plant which could be operational from 2030 – bolstering security of supply and supporting the UK’s long-term decarbonisation by providing back-up low-carbon power to variable renewable generation.
The project will enter environmental scoping in April before SSE and Equinor launch a public consultation ahead of a full planning application being made in due course.
Under plans, the new power station will be designed to run on 100% hydrogen. The ambition is that this would be the case from inception, with Government already committed to deploying low-carbon infrastructure in the Humber – the UK’s most carbon intensive cluster.
Note.
- The hydrogen for this power station will be produced by electrolysis or one of the new turquoise methods.
- It will be stored in Aldborough or Rough gas storage.
- This will be the fourth power station at Keadby after Keadby 1 (734 MW), Keadby 2 (893 MW) and Keadby 3 (910 MW)
- Keadby 3 will be fitted with carbon capture.
- These total up to 3.4 GW.
The Keadby cluster of power stations will make good backup to the wind farms in the North Sea.
SSE Renewables Partners With Fluence And OCU Energy To Deliver Its Battery Storage Project At Fiddler’s Ferry
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE Renewables.
This is the sub-heading.
*The 150MW / 300MWh battery energy storage system will be built on the site of the former SSE-owned coal fired power station*
These four paragraphs give full details of the project.
SSE Renewables has announced its principal contractor and battery supplier for its 150MW battery storage project at Fiddler’s Ferry, Warrington.
OCU Energy – who are Stockport-based and are currently working with SSE Renewables on its Ferrybridge battery storage project – will be the principal contractor at Fiddler’s Ferry.
Fluence, a global leader in energy storage technology, digital solutions and services, has been selected as the supplier of the battery-based energy storage system.
Construction is set to begin at the site in the coming weeks after SSE Renewables took a final investment decision back in December 2023.
Note.
- This will be a two-hour battery.
- Good to see a press release with both battery output and battery capacity shown in the appropriate units.
It’s also good to see, SSE adding to the fleet of the UK’s battery storage.
This page on the SSE Renewables web site is entitled About Solar And Battery.
This is the sub-heading.
SSE Renewables is progressing a 1.2GW secured pipeline of utility-scale solar and battery projects across the UK and Ireland and a further 1.3GW of other prospective sites under development. These assets complement SSE’s existing portfolio of other low carbon infrastructure such as wind and hydro.
This is the first paragraph.
Our solar projects will be capable of harnessing the abundant power of the sun to bring renewable power onto the grid, while our battery projects will be able to store renewable power when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. The delivery of these projects is part of our commitment to a net zero transition.
What follows is a job advert.
As an electrical and control engineer, who has enjoyed over fifty years exploring the mathematics of big engineering projects, I don’t regret the choice of career I made.
Price Framework Paves Way For Vast Electricity Storage Scheme
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
SSE welcomes step forward in plans to build the £1.5bn Coire Glas hydroelectric project
These two paragraphs outline the article.
Ministers have provisionally agreed to a power pricing framework that could pave the way for more pumped storage hydroelectricity projects in Britain, including a gigantic £1.5 billion scheme from SSE that is starting to take shape in the Scottish Highlands.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it intended to develop a “cap and floor” pricing mechanism that would advance the Coire Glas storage project being developed by SSE, the energy company, and could unlock further pumped storage power stations.
Coire Glas will be one of the largest renewable power projects ever built in the UK.
- It will have a power output of 1.5 GW, which is comparable with some of the large wind farms in the North Sea or four gas-fired power station or Rolls-Royce SMRs.
- It will be able to store 30 GWh of electricity and provide 1.5 GW for twenty hours.
- Coire Glas has a web site.
- Coire Glas will more than double pumped storage hydroelectric capacity in the UK.
Bath County Pumped Storage Station in Virginia, US claims to be the world’s largest battery, but Coire Glas will be able to store more electricity.
You wait decades for one of these monsters to come along in the UK and SSE also have another on the way.
- Loch Sloy hydroelectric power station is the largest conventional hydroelectric power station in the UK.
- It has an output of 152 MW.
- It opened in 1950 and was largely built by German and Italian prisoners-of-war.
SSE plan to convert Loch Sloy power station into a pumped storage hydroelectric power station.
- It will be able to store 25 GWh of electricity.
- Loch Sloy will be the upper lake.
- Loch Lomond will be the lower lake.
- The existing dam, upper lake, pipes and powerhouse will be retained.
- The developments have a web page.
The project is aimed at a commissioning date of 2028.
This paragraph explains how the ‘cap and floor’ mechanism works.
In the scheme, operators would be guaranteed a minimum level of revenue, while consumers would be protected by a price ceiling, above which surplus revenue would be returned to them.
And these two paragraphs give SSE’s reaction.
Finlay McCutcheon, 46, director of onshore Europe at SSE, said the pricing framework was welcome news. He said that a deal for Coire Glas was needed by the end of this year to secure a firm investment decision by early 2026. Planning for the project started in 2007.
“Given the time taken to reach this point, much work is now needed to ensure an effective mechanism is finalised and put in place as early as possible to enable Coire Glas to take final investment decisions and move into construction,” he said.
I believe that the negotiations between the Government and SSE will lead to a monster on Loch Lochy and another one on Loch Lomond.
Conclusion
There are also these pumped storage hydroelectric schemes under development.
- Balliemeanoch Pumped Hydro – 1.5 GW/45 GWh
- Balmacaan Pumped Hydro – 600 MW/15-20 GWh
- Corrievarkie Pumped Hydro – 1.5 GW/14.5 GWh
- Fearna Pumped Hydro – 1.8 GW/37 GWh
- Glenmuckloch Pumped Hydro – 400 MW/1.6 GWh
- Loch Earba Pumped Storage Hydro – 900MW/33 GWh
- Loch Kemp Pumped Storage Hydro – 300MW/9 GWh
- Loch Na Cargeach/Red John Pumped Storage Hydro – 450 MW/2.8 GWh
These total up to 7.4 GW/100+ GWh.
This page on the Strathclyde University web site, gives these GWh figures for the possible amounts of pumped-storage that can be added to existing schemes.
- Errochty – 16
- Glasgarnock – 23
- Luichart – 38
- Clunie – 40
- Fannich – 70
- Rannoch – 41
- Fasnakyle – 78
- Tummel – 38
- Ben Lawers – 12
- Nant – 48
- Invermoriston – 22
- Invergarry – 41
- Quoich – 27
- Sloy – 20
That is a total of 514 GWh.
Scotland will be the Saudi Arabia of energy storage.
SSE Comments On COP28
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
SSE Chief Executive, Alistair Phillips-Davies, said:
“We knew going into COP28 that the world wasn’t moving fast enough to decarbonise. The commitment to triple renewables by 2030 is welcome, as is the inclusion, for the first time, of explicit language on the need to transition away from fossil fuels.
“Codifying and securing international endorsement for ambitions like these is very welcome; however, the challenge now is to deliver the tangible actions needed to make them a reality.
“In the power sector, this means speeding up policy and decision-making so that it is easier to invest and build the infrastructure we need to actually deliver net zero, from offshore wind farms to electricity grids and flexible power plants.
“At COP28 there was no shortage of businesses willing to invest but there was a common frustration at the pace of progress on the ground, and this is something we need to address for all our sakes.”
I would agree with what he said.
- Especially about speeding up policy and decision-making and delivering more electricity grids.
- The last paragraph probably applies to a lot of countries.
Surprisingly, energy storage is not mentioned.
Could that be because SSE are going down the route, where hydrogen is created and that is either used in gas-guzzling industries to reduce their carbon-emissions or stored until needed?
Rolls-Royce And Zero Petroleum Join Forces To Develop Sustainable Future
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls Royce.
This is the sub-heading.
Rolls-Royce has entered a landmark agreement with breakthrough Energy company Zero Petroleum to promote further development of the company’s power and propulsion solutions with fossil-free synthetic fuels.
These two paragraphs outline the agreement.
The new agreement will see the two parties collaborate to demonstrate Rolls-Royce engines for aviation, marine and defence with Zero® synthetic fuels.
This has the potential to include Zero’s entire range of synthetic fuels – petrol, diesel and jet fuel – with data gathered from engine testing used to prove the credentials required to achieve international fuel certification standards. Synthetic fuels deployed by Rolls-Royce in engine tests will directly reduce associated carbon emissions.
Are Rolls-Royce going to do their engine testing using synthetic fuels to reduce their carbon emissions?
It certainly looks like they might and I suppose it does two tests at the same time.
Rolls-Royce Seem To Be Using Technology To Save The Company
Big companies like Rolls-Royce, who are very much toed up with fossil fuels have two options; give up or fight using the only weapons they have; superb technology and a lot of experience.
There are only a small group, that seem to be fighting to succeed. To Rolls-Royce, I would add Cummins, Fortescue Future Industries, Ricardo and SSE, and possibly BP and Centrica.
SSE And RWE Tweak North Falls Project Following Public Input, DCO Application Now Expected In 2024
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
RWE and SSE Renewables have made a number of changes to the North Falls offshore wind project in the UK, a proposed extension to the existing 504 MW Greater Gabbard, whose implementation will likely move the planned date for filing a development consent order (DCO) application into 2024. The most significant changes to the project plans include removing the northern array area and reducing the number and height of wind turbines.
These two paragraphs introduce the article.
The developers are tweaking the project following a review of the feedback received from the North Falls statutory consultation held during the summer.
Initially, North Falls comprised two offshore array areas totalling 150 square kilometres and will now have a single array occupying 95 square kilometres. This also moves the wind farm farther offshore, with its closest point to shore now being 42 kilometres, 20 kilometres farther out at sea than proposed originally.
It looks like RWE and SSE Renewables have listened to the public and acted.
But then the developers are two of the most experienced in the UK.
SSE Becomes First Utility To Trial First Hydrogen Fuel Cell EV Van
hydrThe title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Central.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The low-carbon energy infrastructure company will be the first utility to trial the hydrogen-powered vehicle – and the first to put it to the test in real-life fleet operations by deploying the vehicle with SSE engineers.
The project will enable First Hydrogen’s team to gather data on fuel consumption, usage, and efficiency. The trials are being used to inform development of First Hydrogen’s Generation II series, currently in development, and will help enhance Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) data.
The deployment will take place in Aberdeen, as the city has some of the UK’s best hydrogen infrastructure.
The Mayor of London please note how being a hydrogen denier causes London to have more pollution.
The Anonymous Widower 