Planning Application submitted for the 1.8GW Earba Pumped Storage Hydro ‘PSH’ project
We are delighted to announce that the Planning Application for the Earba Pumped Storage Hydro Project has now been submitted to the Energy Consents Unit of the Scottish Government.
Known as a ‘Section 36’ Planning Application, it includes considerable surveys, analysis, engineering design and consultation all summarized in an Environmental Impact Assessment ‘EIA’ report.
All major statutory consultees such as NatureScot and SEPA have been involved in the consultation, and we have listened to the views of the general public and local community via a number of face-to-face community events.
The Earba Storage Project is a proposed pumped storage hydro (‘PSH’) scheme with an installed capacity of up to 1,800MW and stored energy of up to 40,000 MWh making it the largest such scheme in the UK in terms of both installed capacity and energy stored.
The scale of the project makes it nationally significant, and its location and geography provide inherent benefits – for example natural water storage, and short tunnels. This means that the economics of the project will be competitive relative to other PSH projects in development, and relative to other storage technologies.
Commenting on the project, Carl Crompton Managing Director of Gilkes Energy said:
“After a number of years’ work, we are delighted to have submitted a Planning Application for the Earba Pumped Storage Hydro ‘PSH’ project. At up to 1,800MW installed capacity and 40,000MWh stored energy, this will be the largest such project in the UK.
Energy storage allows energy produced during times of excess renewables generation (mainly wind) to be stored and released later when there is a deficit of renewable energy. This in turn displaces expensive and carbon-emitting gas generation and ultimately speeds up the transition to a clean, carbon-free economy.
Pumped Storage Hydro ‘PSH’ projects are in effect very large water batteries and the technology behind these projects is both very mature and robust, but also extremely cost competitive. PSH projects can easily last for 100 years with no degradation in performance.
We are also heartened by the recent publication of the Government Consultation on Long Duration Energy Storage ‘LDES’ support, likely to be a ‘Cap & Floor’ mechanism. This Consultation recognises both the value of Pumped Storage Hydro, but also the challenge of financing such capital intensive and long lead time projects. The proposed Cap & Floor mechanism has been used successfully to attract private capital to invest in interconnector projects, and we hope a similar mechanism will unlock the financing of a number of PSH projects.
By developing and investing in PSH capacity, we are helping more renewables to be added to the UK System and making a significant contribution to the race to Net Zero.
We look forward to bringing this ambitious project to fruition”.
Please visit the dedicated project website www.earbastorage.co.uk for regular updates, including all the Planning Documents .
