It’s been a long time since the UK built any new pumped hydro capacity. Among new projects proposed, Coire Glas in Scotland could be pivotal, says Andy Sloan at consultancy COWI and John Ord from Stantec.
UK power generation company Drax has announced plans for a new underground pumped hydro storage power station, and will seek planning permission to expand its Cruachan site in Scotland to 1.04GW.
A 50MW lithium-ion battery storage system which will form part of a transmission system-connected ‘Energy Superhub’ has been commissioned in Oxford, England, while another 100MW transmission-connected project in the country has reached financial close and is set to begin construction soon.
UK-headquartered battery storage asset owner and operator Zenobe Energy is developing Scotland’s first transmission-connected battery storage project, it has announced.
Industry group Scottish Renewables has warned that the UK’s climate change targets will not be met without the removal of barriers to long-duration energy storage such as pumped hydro.
Bigger projects, increased synergy with renewable energy generation, better evolved business models and a forward-thinking market design have contributed to the success of battery storage in the UK, with neighbouring Ireland also showing strong signs of rapid growth.
Battery storage portfolio investor Gresham House Energy Storage Fund has acquired 55MW of UK projects in the past few weeks and completed a 10MW extension to an existing project.
