A second Scottish power station inside a mountain could be ready by 2030
Permission is being sought to expand the Cruachan power station in Argyll
Last updated 17th May 2022
Plans are being announced for to build a second hydro pumped-storage power station deep inside a mountain in the West Highlands, creating up to 900 jobs with a power boost for the grid coming by 2030.
Sixty years after the construction of the Cruachan Power Station in Argyll bosses at Drax said plans have been submitted increase the total amount of energy the site can produce to 1.04 gigawatts.
To achieve that around two million tonnes of rock would need to be excavated to create the cavern, tunnels and other parts of the new power station
Drax said the planned station at its existing "Hollow Mountain" facility inside Ben Cruachan - Argyll's highest mountain - would be the first newly constructed plant of its kind in the UK in more than 40 years.
The company also said its plans for a new underground pumped storage hydro power station would help cut carbon emissions and also boost energy security in the UK.
900 jobs will be created
It believes a new station on the site could be operational as soon as 2030, with construction work getting under way in 2024.
Planning applications are being submitted on Tuesday, with Drax stating around 900 jobs could be created over the six years construction will take - with this total including supply chain jobs in a range of industries including quarrying, engineering, transport and hospitality.
Around 150 local on site construction jobs will be created.
How hydro pumped-storage works
The plans for the power station will see reversible turbines used to pump water from Loch Awe to an upper reservoir on the mountainside at times of low demand, using spare energy from conventional power plants and windfarms.
Then, when there is a need to boost the grid at times of peak demand the water is released down through the turbines, and out into Loch Awe, generating instant green energy.
Ian Kinnaird, Drax's Scottish assets director, said: "Drax's plan to expand Cruachan will strengthen the UK's energy security by enabling more homegrown renewable electricity to come online to power homes and businesses across the country, helping to end our reliance on imports and cut costs.
"This major infrastructure project will support hundreds of jobs and provide a real boost to the Scottish economy.
"Only by investing in long-duration storage technologies can the UK reach its full renewable potential, and Drax is ready to move mountains to do just that."