Drax has begun seismic surveys at its existing Cruachan power station in Argyll, Scotland. The surveys are a crucial step in developing a proposed 600MW underground pumped storage hydro plant, which would be the first of its kind to be built in the UK in four decades.
The seismic surveys involve drilling into the rock and detonating small explosive charges to understand the geological structure of the mountain. The sound waves are expected to penetrate up to 60 metres below the surface, while ground-mounted geophones measure the reflected signal to assess what lies beneath.
Acting like a giant water battery, the hydro plant will use reversible turbines to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir, which stores excess power from wind farms and other low-carbon technologies at times of low demand and low energy prices. When demand is high, the water is released to drive a turbine in the powerhouse that releases electricity to the grid.
UK energy resilience
This expansion will provide a much-needed boost to the UK’s energy resilience and provide grid stabilisation facilities, reducing the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels. The Scottish government has granted the project development consent, with further policy support due to enable the Drax project to proceed as planned. The project is seen as critical to the UK’s plans for additional wind and solar generation, providing the storage necessary when excess energy is generated.
Steve Marshall, development manager, said: “The start of these seismic surveys of the mountain is a real milestone for the project…these surveys will further complement borehole drilling works undertaken in 2022 and 2023 at the site.
“We hope the next UK Government will continue policy development in this area at pace to enable a new generation of pumped storage plants to come online as soon as possible.”
In addition to its energy stabilisation and storage benefits, the project is set to provide hundreds of jobs and deliver a welcome boost to the Scottish economy. Earlier this year, Drax announced an £80 million investment to increase the generating capacity of the existing Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station by 40MW to 480MW. The new 600MW facility will be built adjacent to this existing plant.
