Britain Approves First New Pumped-Storage Hydropower Projects in Over Four Decades

The energy regulator has provisionally approved three pumped-storage schemes in northern Scotland. Statera Energy’s Loch Kemp will draw water from Loch Ness, SSE’s Coire Glas will use Loch Lochy between Fort William and Inverness, and Gilkes Energy’s Earba project will combine Loch Leamhain and Loch Earba to create the UK’s largest pumped-storage facility. All are slated for construction in the early 2030s, marking the first new pumped-hydro plants since the Dinorwig station began operating in 1984.

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Pumped-storage hydroelectricity has supplied Britain for nearly 150 years, with the Dinorwig “electric mountain” capable of powering roughly two million households within seconds. The technology stores excess electricity by pumping water to an elevated reservoir and releases it through turbines when demand peaks, providing eight-hour-plus storage that helps balance intermittent wind and solar generation.

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• Statera Energy, SSE, and Gilkes Energy – developers of the three Scottish schemes.

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• Michael Shanks – UK Energy Minister.

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• Akshay Kaul, Director General for Infrastructure at Ofgem (the regulator).

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• Ofgem – responsible for granting provisional approvals.

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Each project will use existing lochs as natural reservoirs, eliminating the need for large new dams. The regulator classifies them as long-duration storage capable of storing and releasing electricity for eight hours or more. Specific generation capacities and costs were not disclosed in the source material.

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The approvals aim to reduce Britain’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, improve energy security, and enable a higher share of renewable electricity on the grid. By providing rapid, large-scale power during peak demand or low wind/solar output, the schemes are intended to shield households from price volatility linked to volatile global fuel markets.

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Energy Minister Michael Shanks framed the approvals as a reversal of a four-decade hiatus, emphasizing the need to avoid dependence on volatile fossil-fuel markets after recent geopolitical shocks. Ofgem’s Akshay Kaul said the regulator is building infrastructure that allows renewable energy to thrive, improves energy security, and cuts reliance on global gas supplies, praising the diversity of technologies in the broader 16-project portfolio.

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The sources do not provide the projected megawatt capacity, construction costs, or detailed timelines beyond “early 2030s.” No quantitative comparison with the existing Dinorwig plant is offered, leaving the scale of impact unclear.

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• “Forty years after the country’s last pumped storage facility, this government is getting Britain building again. The lesson from the conflict in Iran is clear: Britain cannot afford to remain at the mercy of volatile fossil fuel markets and leave families exposed to the next price shock.” — Michael Shanks, Energy Minister

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• “creating the right infrastructure for renewable energy to thrive and improve our energy security and reduce reliance on global gas markets” — Akshay Kaul, Director General for Infrastructure, Ofgem

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• “Later, when power supplies are tight during the evening’s peak power demand, the water is allowed to flow over the turbines, effectively releasing electricity back to the grid.” — Article description

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• “It’s fantastic to see such a wide range of technologies coming forward. This takes us a step closer towards the long-duration energy storage we need in a clean power system to maintain secure supply during periods of cold, hot, still or cloudy weather when solar or wind power output may be low.” — Akshay Kaul, Ofgem

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Construction of the three Scottish pumped-storage sites is expected to begin in the early 2030s, with commissioning aimed for the mid-2030s. The regulator will continue reviewing the remaining 13 projects in its 16-project list, which includes compressed-air and vanadium-flow battery schemes, to further expand Britain’s long-duration storage capacity.

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