ILI Group has announced that the 1.5 GW Balliemeanoch pumped storage hydro (PSH) project in Loch Awe, Dalmally in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, has begun the basic planning phase. For up to 30 hours, the project would provide 1.5 GW of power, enough to power 4.5 million households.
The project would build a new upper reservoir in the hills above Loch Awe that will contain 58 million cubic metres of water when fully operational. Over the course of its lifespan, the project is expected to offset more than 200 million tons of carbon dioxide. It would be ILI’s third and largest PSH project.
In January 2022, Crown Estate Scotland had selected a partnership comprising Ørsted, Falck Renewables, and BlueFloat Energy to enter into an option agreement for a new floating offshore wind project off Scotland’s north-east coast. This floating wind site, having a capacity of up to 1 GW, was one of many given as part of the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round by the Crown Estate Scotland. The project will be 50 kilometres east of Wick, off the coast of Caithness, and will be Ørsted’s first large-scale floating offshore wind development project ever.
REGlobal’s Views: Pumped storage projects are gaining traction owing to their massive potential to balance the grid especially with increasing renewable energy penetration. The company also has other storage projects in pipeline that will help bring stability to the grid.
