Monster pumped hydroelectric plan for Loch Ness

• 5 years ago (2018-07-09)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Hydroelectric 17

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Intelligent Land Investments (ILI), a property management company in Hamilton, Scotland, has proposed building a 2.4 GWh pumped hydroelectric project near Loch Ness in Scotland. ILI said that the project, called Red John after the name of a source pool to the lake, could deliver 400 MW over a six-hour period.

ILI said: “Between 2007 and 2015, the total installed capacity of renewable electricity generation in Scotland has more than doubled. Due to its intermittent nature, the rise in renewable generation has resulted in increased demand for flexible capacity to help meet energy balancing requirements for the national grid system. Pumped storage hydro is considered to be the most developed and largest form of grid energy storage that currently exists. This can help reduce renewable energy curtailment and therefore promote grid stability.”

The project still has to be approved by Scottish regulatory agencies. While there are some concerns about the technical difficulties involved in creating a 5.4 million cubic metre upper reservoir without damaging the natural habitats, authorities say that they do not believe that there will be any delays caused by the mythological Loch Ness Monster.