New pumped storage scheme for Snowdonia?

Britain’s first new grid-scale electricity storage facility for more than 30 years has taken a step closer to completion, following an agreement with landowner, the Crown Estate, to lease 13 hectares of land in North Wales to developer Snowdonia Pumped Hydro (SPH).

The proposed £160mn Glyn Rhonwy facility will be located near Llanberis and have the potential to produce nearly 100 MW of electricity using pumped hydro technology. Water will be pumped to a reservoir on the upper slope of Cefn-Du at times of low electricity demand, then be released back through turbines to a lower reservoir to re-generate the electricity at times of high demand.

The facility will play an important role in balancing supply and demand on the UK’s electricity grid as the percentage of renewables such as wind and solar power continue to grow.

It is anticipated that the facility will be operational by 2019. The facility is expected to be operating for 125 years, during which time Gwynedd Council will receive annual rates payments of approximately £600,000 a year, and an independent trust will manage community contributions from the facility, including an initial grant of £325,000 and annual payments of £15,000.

The 600 MWh facility is expected to achieve carbon payback within six to nine months, according to SPH, which adds that more than 99% of the world’s existing grid-scale electricity storage is pumped hydro, due to its low cost and proven technology.