SSE Wins Consent to Upgrade 152.5 MW Sloy Hydro Power Station in Scotland

SSE Renewables has secured planning consent from the Scottish Government to upgrade the 152.5MW Sloy Hydroelectric Power Station, with the project located at Inveruglas on the western bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland.

The approved upgrades give SSE the flexibility to potentially transform the existing facility into a pumped-storage hydro scheme offering up to 16 GWh of long-duration energy storage. The plans could also enable the station’s installed generation capacity to be increased to 160 MW through future asset enhancement works.

Commissioned in 1950 at Inveruglas on the western shore of Scotland’s Loch Lomond, Sloy is the UK’s largest conventional hydroelectric power station. The existing renewable energy facility plays a crucial role in providing flexibility to Great Britain’s electricity system and meeting periods of peak demand. With its current capacity, the plant can generate approximately 130 GWh of hydroelectricity annually. It can also reach full generation output in less than five minutes, delivering dependable and flexible power for up to 100 consecutive hours.