Cruachan Power Station

Cruachan Power Station
The dam containing the upper reservoir
CountryScotland
LocationArgyll and Bute
Coordinates56°24′23″N 05°06′47″W / 56.40639°N 5.11306°W / 56.40639; -5.11306
StatusOperational
Construction began1959[1]
Opening date15 October 1965
Owner(s)Drax Power
Upper reservoir
CreatesCruachan Reservoir
Total capacity10,000,000 m3 (350,000,000 cu ft)[2] (7 GWh)
Lower reservoir
CreatesLoch Awe
Power Station
Hydraulic head396 m (1,299 ft)
Pump-generators4
Installed capacity440 MW (590,000 hp)
Annual generation705 GWh (2,540 TJ) (2009)[3]
Website
www.visitcruachan.co.uk

The Cruachan Power Station (also known as the Cruachan Dam) is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK. The scheme can provide 440 MW of power and produced 705 GWh in 2009.

The turbine hall is located inside Ben Cruachan, and the scheme moves water between Cruachan Reservoir and Loch Awe, a height difference of 396 m (1,299 ft). It is one of only four pumped storage power stations in the United Kingdom, and is capable of providing a black start capability to the National Grid.

Construction began in 1959 to coincide with the Hunterston A nuclear power station in Ayrshire. Cruachan uses cheap electricity generated at night to pump water to the higher reservoir, which can then be released during the day to provide power as necessary. The power station is open to visitors, and around 50,000 tourists visit it each year.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference hist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Cruachan Power Station: Site Information" (PDF). Scottish Power. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference spew was invoked but never defined (see the help page).