SSE and Gilkes Energy submit plans for new pumped hydro storage project in the Great Glen

SSE and Gilkes Energy have submitted a Section 36 planning consent application to Scottish Government Ministers for the proposed joint venture Fearna pumped storage hydro (PSH) project in Scotland’s Highlands.

The 50:50 development joint venture project is located at the western end of Glengarry, around 25km west of Invergarry and adjoins SSE Renewables’ existing Loch Quoich reservoir in the Great Glen hydro scheme. Delivery of the project would be subject to securing planning consent and a final investment decision, including an investible route-to-market.

Fearna PSH has a proposed installed capacity of 1.8GW with a stored capacity of up to 36GWh, providing 20hrs of storage and which would make it the largest such scheme in the UK if delivered.

Fearna could support around 500 jobs at peak during its approximated seven-year construction period, boosting employment and the local economy in the Scottish Highlands.

Plans for the project envisage the development of tunnels and a new power station connecting SSE Renewables’ existing reservoir at Loch Quoich with an upper reservoir at Loch Fearna.

Under the terms of the joint venture agreement announced in July 2024, Gilkes Energy will lead the project’s development under a developer services agreement with SSE Renewables.

SSE Renewables already operates the largest fleet of hydro-electric power and pumped storage hydro assets in Scotland. It is now progressing development plans for new pumped storage hydropower projects in the Highlands to complement its existing fleet and deliver the large-scale, long-duration electricity storage (LDES) needed as part of Britain’s future energy mix.

Fraser Allison, Project Director of the Fearna PSH project, said:
“We are pleased to have submitted a Section 365 planning consent application to Scottish Ministers for Fearna.

“This exciting long duration electricity storage project could be the largest in the UK for both installed capacity and stored energy.

“We are looking forward to continued engagement with stakeholders, supply chain partners and the local community as the planning process moves forward.”

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About SSE Renewables
SSE Renewables is a leading developer and operator of renewable energy generation, focusing on onshore and offshore wind, hydro, solar and battery storage. Part of energy infrastructure company SSE plc, UK-listed in the FTSE100, it is delivering clean power assets to increase SSE’s operational renewable generation capacity from 5GW today to up to 9GW by 2027 as part of a ~£20bn clean energy plan, the five-year Net Zero Acceleration Programme (NZAP) Plus. This includes delivery of the world’s largest offshore wind farm in construction, the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm. SSE Renewables has a team of around 2,000 renewable energy professionals with a passion for championing clean energy delivery, each based across the markets in which it operates. Its core market focus is on the UK and Ireland, with a growing international presence in carefully selected markets in Continental Europe and Japan.

About Gilkes Energy
Gilkes Energy Ltd (GEL) specializes in the development of hydro power projects in the UK. Over the last 14 years GEL has successfully developed and built 17 conventional hydro projects.

In 2018 GEL moved its focus from conventional small-scale hydro to much larger Pumped Storage Hydro ‘PSH’ and is now developing the two largest PSH projects in the UK (both 1.8GW and 20hrs+ storage). This change in focus reflects the fact that the UK needs vast amounts of energy storage in order to balance the grid, and PSH is a cost-effective, efficient way of delivering large amounts of storage in single projects.