SSE has secured Section 36 Planning Consent from the Scottish Government for upgrades to its existing 152.5MW Sloy Hydro-electric Power Station.

The consented upgrades provide SSE with the option to convert the existing facility into a pumped storage hydro scheme capable of providing up to 16GWh of long-duration electricity storage with the potential to increase the station’s installed generation capacity to 160MW through future potential asset improvement works.

Robert Bryce, director of Hydro for SSE Renewables, said: “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.”

Any final decision to progress the upgrade would be taken in line with SSE’s continued focus on capital discipline and with strict adherence to its return thresholds.

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