Investor found to take forward Glenmuckloch hydro scheme

One of Scotland's biggest landowners has agreed a deal that will end its day-to-day involvement in plans for a £250m hydro scheme at an old coal mine.

Buccleuch said Foresight Energy Infrastructure Partners (FEIP) would now seek to take forward the project at Glenmuckloch near Kirkconnel.

Planning permission for the scheme was extended earlier this year.

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

Pumped Storage Hydro (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.

A wind farm on the old opencast mine site is also part of the plans.

Buccleuch said it had "worked tirelessly" to give a new life to the area after the collapse of ATH Resources nearly a decade ago.

Executive chairman Benny Higgins said: "Buccleuch has long spoken of the immense potential for a PSH and windfarm project at Glenmuckloch, a project which has been wholly privately funded.

"The project could have an incredibly positive impact on local communities, and also at a national level as we face the climate crisis.

"I am delighted that we have reached a deal with Foresight, who will take the projects forward onto the next steps and, ultimately, to energy generation."

The deal will see Buccleuch lease the site to FEIP but it will retain ownership of the land.

Richard Thompson, partner at Foresight, said Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) had a "critical role" to play in helping reduce power prices while increasing renewable energy provision.

"Foresight is delighted to be making its first LDES investment in a project that will create such a long lasting environmental legacy through the repurposing of a disused coal mine," he added.