Buyer sought for £250m hydro scheme at Glenmuckloch

A buyer is being sought for a £250m hydro energy scheme at a former opencast coal mine in the south of Scotland.

The project at Glenmuckloch near Kirkconnel in Dumfries and Galloway was approved more than four years ago.

Owners Buccleuch said much of the background work had been carried out and they were now seeking a buyer.

The scheme would require hundreds of workers during construction then create up to 15 long-term jobs.

The Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) project was approved in November 2016.

PSH works by releasing water from a higher waterbody to a lower one, passing it through one or more turbines to generate electricity.

Water is then pumped back up the hill and stored in the upper reservoir until further electricity is required.

It has been estimated the project would cost about £250m to complete.

Buccleuch is looking to sell the project plus an adjacent wind farm scheme which it said would "consign to history the black scar of previous mining activities".

Energy director Alan Wilson said they had reached a "pivotal moment" and were looking for someone to take the project through to commercial operation.

"The scheme has the potential to be economically and environmentally transformational, both regionally and nationally," he said.