The UK is set to welcome its largest electricity storage project to date. The company Gilkes Energy, a hydroelectric specialist, has just received the green light from the Scottish government for its Earba project, a pumped storage power plant to be installed between two Highland lochs, Leamhain (top) and Earba (bottom).
1.8 GW for 22 hours straight
The principle of this installation is not new, but it is devilishly effective: when renewable energy production exceeds demand, the available electricity is used to pump water from the lower loch to the upper loch. Then, during periods of high consumption, the water flows back down, activating turbines to produce electricity.
Result: Earba will be able to deliver 1.8 GW for 22 hours straight, or 40 GWh of storage. Enough to power several million homes for a day. "It's a very large battery, but with water," said Carl Crompton, CEO of Gilkes Energy.
The project will be located in a well-connected mountainous area, with geology favorable to this type of development. Construction will require a 3-kilometer tunnel to connect the two reservoirs, as well as a partially buried power station on the shores of Loch Earba. The work is estimated to last between six and seven years. At its peak, the project is expected to employ up to 500 people on site.
While a start date for construction has not yet been set, preparations are accelerating. "Now that we have the green light, we need to make it happen. This involves the final design, calls for tenders, and, above all, fundraising," explains Carl Crompton. The investment will be substantial, and Gilkes Energy hopes to be able to count on a new financial support mechanism currently under discussion with the British authorities: the "Cap & Floor" mechanism, already used for other strategic infrastructures such as electricity interconnections.
In parallel, the company is moving forward with a second similar project in Fearna, 25 kilometers from Invergarry. Again, this is a 1.8 GW PSH, in partnership with SSE Renewables. No timetable has been set. press release, but Gilkes' strategy is well known: multiply the sites to store green energy and use it better when it is needed.
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