Earba Storage Project

The planning application for the scheme was submitted in March 2024.{{Cite web |date=22 Mar 2024 |title=Earba pumped storage hydro scheme |url=https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/1682-earba-pumped-storage-hydro-scheme |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=John Muir Trust |language=}}

In March 2025, the project was granted Section 36 planning consent by the Scottish Government.{{cite web |title=Earba PSH Project Secures Major Planning Consent |url=https://earbastorage.co.uk/earba-psh-project-secures-major-planning-consent/ |website=Earba PSH project - News |publisher=Gilkes Energy |access-date=17 April 2025 |date=28 March 2025}}

Construction is expected to take around six or seven years.

File:Lochan na h-earba - geograph.org.uk - 3162217.jpg

The scheme will use Loch Earba as the lower reservoir, and Loch Leamhain as the upper.

Loch Earba (Gaelic: {{Lang|gd|Lochan na h’Earba}}) consists of two bodies of water at around 350m above sea level (AOD), lying in a long glacial valley running southwest to northeast. Damming both ends of this valley will create the lower reservoir. When full the lake will be approximately 6km long and 500m across, with a top water level (TWL) at 376m AOD and a bottom water level (BWL) at 358m AOD. A complete generation cycle will therefore raise the water level by 18m over a period of 22 hours.{{cite web |title=Earba Pumped Storage Hydro Scheme EIA Report Non-Technical Summary |url=https://earbastorage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Earba-PSH-EIAR-Non-Technical-Summary.pdf |publisher=Gilkes Energy |access-date=18 April 2025 |date=February 2024}}

File:Above Loch a' Bhealaich Leamhain (geograph 7807610).jpg

Loch Leamhain (Gaelic: {{Lang|gd|Loch a’Bhealaich Leamhain}}) is a glacial corrie tarn, in the high mountains to the East of Loch Earba, at an elevation of 635 AOD. The corrie drains towards the southeast. Damming the entrance would create the upper reservoir, raising the level of Loch Leamhain by around 75m to 710m AOD. When full, the reservoir would be around 1.5km long by 1km across.

The power station would be located on the shore of Loch Earba, with 3km long tunnels carrying water to the upper reservoir, beneath the mountain ridge that separates the two lochs.

A 400 kV underground power line would connect the powerhouse to the National Grid with a new substation constructed adjacent to the Beauly-Denny power line. This would be a separate consent by SSEN Transmission.

At the scoping stage, the scheme was originally proposed to be rated at 900 MW with 33 GWh of storage (36 hours at full load). This was subsequently increased in the development stage to 1800 MW and 40 GWh of storage (22 hours), making it the largest PSH scheme in the UK (both operational and under development).

There has been significant opposition to the scheme, which is located in designated Wild Land and Special Landscape areas. The proposed scheme is close to the Munros of Geal Charn, Creag Pitridh and Beinn a' Chlachair plus the Ardverikie wall rock climbing area, with Mountaineering Scotland quoted as saying project "raises some significant concerns for climbers and hillwalkers". They also point out that there will be "highly visible and intrusive bare draw-down zones around the lochs" due to the rising and falling water levels from the scheme operation.

The John Muir Trust also has concerns regarding the drawdown scars and the impact on the perceived wild character of the area, including the Mamores-Alder-Rannoch Wild Land Area in whcih the scheme is proposed. They point out that building large-scale infrastructure in the area will "significantly impact the sense of remoteness, sanctuary, challenge and risk" noting that these are key characteristics of the Wild Land Area designation.{{Cite web |date=12 Apr 2023 |title=New hydro scheme proposal on Wild Land Area boundary |url=https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/whats-new/news/1413-new-hydro-scheme-proposal-on-wild-land-boundary |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=John Muir Trust |language=}} While accepting the need for energy storage as part of decarbonisation efforts, the trust questioned the need to build new PSH, citing a 2023 study on Large Scale Electricity Storage from the Royal Society which suggests the bulk of energy storage will be from hydrogen and PSH will only play a marginal role.

• Balliemeanoch Pumped Storage Hydro
• Coire Glas power station
• Fearna Storage project
• Glen Earrach Energy
• List of power stations in Scotland §Pumped-storage hydro-electric

{{reflist}}

• [https://earbastorage.co.uk/the-project/ Project website]

Category:Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in the United Kingdom

Category:Hydroelectric power stations in Scotland