Leading the way in balancing energy supplies
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The year 2023 will see the final shut down of Hunterston nuclear power station in Ayrshire. Two of its reactors have been closed on safety grounds and the third will work at less than full strength after careful assessment and approval.
The end of nuclear power, too cheap to measure, approaches in Scotland. In fact, over several months in late 2018 with Torness in East Lothian also shut down, over 90 per cent of Scotland’s electricity had been met by renewables, predominantly on and offshore wind plus some hydro, tidal and solar.
Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse has stated that Scotland’s total output has been exporting 20 per cent of all power produced. When challenged as to imports from England, he noted there’s a balance of 16 terawatts in Scotland’s favour. Only one terawatt was imported in that mix.
Given the limited powers of devolution, mainly planning powers and economic development incentives, Wheelhouse explained that UK policy, which has long excluded hydro power from the energy competition rounds, needed to change. The best way to balance dispersed clean electricity production would be pumped storage hydro (PSH).
It is pleasing to note that Drax is promising millions of pounds to upgrade the Ben Chruachan station hidden under the prominent Argyll peak. Also, SSE proposes PSH for Coire Glas above Loch Lochy in the Great Glen.
Additional to Cruachan, the Institution of Civil Engineers tells us that PHS plants are planned at Sloy on Loch Lomond, Balmacaan in the Great Glen, and Glyn Rhonwy in Wales.
SSE’s proposed Coire Glas project near Fort Augustus is unique as it would be able to store and send energy for far longer periods – storing it for around 50 hours and using its significant elevation of approximately 500m between the upper and lower reservoirs to maintain production for longer periods.
Consent was granted in December 2013 after full approval by Highland Council but, so far, no final investment decision has been made. That requires £800 million but could provide belt and braces for intermittent and dispersed wind sources. A no-brainer, you might say. Yes, if we thinking best resilience in Scottish clean power production.
For Highland readers, the glory days of the North of Scotland Hydro Board are well remembered in many families. Back in the 1980s, Ross & Cromarty District Council included a hydro dam in its new logo, such was the positive sentiment of many who worked in the schemes. The construction work created sustained jobs in the 1950s and 60s.
Recently though, Glen Doe saw contractors employ many workers from outside the area. Also, much of the tunnelling was achieved by German plant. A tunnel collapse led to prolonged court action but the scheme, which isn’t PSH, which I visited when an MSP, is now running smoothly.
Another aspect arises to control who builds clean power plant and equipment. Storage of wind power has produced a hydrogen industry in Orkney which use electrolysers and compressors to convert clean electricity to hydrogen fuel cells used by the auxiliary power supplies, while inter-island ferries are tied up overnight in the ReFlex project. This hopes to turn best use of surplus production to store, train personnel and expand use to new ferries in future which could have hydrogen propulsion.
Dick Winchester, a member of the Scottish Government Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (AGER), noted that in a recent webinar on “Green Hydrogen at Industrial Scale for a Zero Carbon Future”, two senior managers from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise talked of importing technology.
He went on: “Both talked about the need for demonstration projects and the importance of attracting European manufacturers here. The problem here is because Scotland does not manufacture key hydrogen technology elements such as electrolysers or fuel cells or storage or compressors, then as with previous demonstrators on Orkney and in Aberdeen, this hardware will have to be imported.”
I have mentioned previously the head start that Denmark, Germany and other clean power players have on a devolved Scotland. Winchester concluded that the EU Commission has seen this as a huge opportunity. It believes there may be investments of €180-470 billion in hydrogen production in Europe in the next 10 years.
On another tack, a trio of European developers have expressed real excitement about the potential for floating offshore wind here. “There are few countries in the world with a comparable resource or such a strong offshore energy supply chain, and we also believe we can make an important contribution to the ongoing energy transition in the North Sea,” they enthused.
Gaining political power in Scotland to shape our clean energy development is most urgent. As could be the need to build technical equipment here.
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, responded to the AGER report: “The global climate crisis poses an imminent threat to our quality of life and wellbeing. We have a moral imperative to act, but if we rise to this challenge now, we will support jobs through innovations that we can export to the rest of the world, and bolster the natural assets that underpin our economy. Our recovery will be an environmentally sustainable and green recovery. Everything we’re doing, whether it be on skills, business support, investment, is focused on sustainability and ensuring a just transition to net zero by 2045.”
