A giant water battery in a Scotland Mountain is set to help the country hit Net Zero.
The subterranean hydro power station, known as ‘Hollow Mountain’, has been greenlit by the Scottish government.
The hydro storage plant will cost £500 million (€581 million) and will be developed by Renewable power developer Drax.
“This is a major milestone in Drax’s plans to build Britain’s first new pumped storage hydro plant in a generation,” says chief executive Will Gardiner.
He added that, given the right support from the state, investments would see the generating capacity of the station more than double.
Huge investments are needed for an expansion, which is expensive to build and takes between five and eight years to complete, he said.
Trade body Scottish Renewables said the expansion to the hydro plant and other projects of its kind would be integral to ensuring energy security and lowering energy bills.
“Our plans to power up Britain are expected to attract a further £100bn investment and support 480,000 jobs across the UK, including Scotland, by 2030,” the government said.
“Pumped hydro storage will help deliver greater energy security and economic growth and we have already confirmed our intention to enable investment in these technologies while removing regulatory barriers.”
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