SSE has received Section 36 Planning Consent from the Scottish government to proceed with upgrades to the Sloy Hydro-electric Power Station, located at Inveruglas on Loch Lomond’s western bank.
The approval gives SSE the option to convert the facility into a pumped storage hydro scheme, which could offer up to 16GWh of long-duration electricity storage.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
It also allows for a potential increase in the station’s installed generation capacity from 152.5MW to 160MW if future asset improvements are implemented.
The Sloy Power Station was first commissioned in 1950. It is the largest conventional hydro-electric power station in the UK and currently has a generating output of around 130GWh annually.
The plant supplies renewable energy to the UK’s electricity system and is capable of reaching full output in under five minutes. It can operate continuously at maximum capacity for up to 100 hours, assisting grid flexibility and peak-demand support.
The planned upgrades involve the installation of new pumps near the current site, north of the main power station at Inveruglas.
These pumps would allow water from Loch Lomond to be moved to Loch Sloy using up to three of the site’s four existing high-pressure pipelines.
This adaptation would enable the facility to generate electricity for longer periods and may help avoid situations where renewable energy from other sources is curtailed during periods of low electricity demand.
SSE indicated it hopes to reach a final investment decision on the Sloy upgrades in late 2027, with the new pumped storage scheme potentially commissioned by the end of this decade.
SSE Renewables Hydro director Robert Bryce said: “We’re delighted our upgrade proposals for Sloy have received planning consent from the Scottish government.
“This provides SSE with important optionality for our iconic Sloy Power Station plant, whether as a new pumped storage hydro facility or as a conventional hydro-electric plant with increased generation capacity, and will help ensure Sloy continues to play a vital role in Scotland’s energy future.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank key stakeholders, local residents and community groups who have engaged with us so positively throughout the development of these proposals.”
Sloy Power Station is connected to the National Grid by a substation with four transformers, which now face replacement due to age.
