The Earba Pumped Storage Hydro project, near the Cairngorms National Park, is set to operate by transferring water between Loch Earba and an upper reservoir, Loch Leamhain. The project’s upper reservoir, when full, will store enough energy to generate 22 hours of electricity at its full 1.8 GW capacity, supplying power to over 1.4 million households annually.
Power for 1.4 million households each year
The proposed site work will involve constructing dams to raise the water levels of both lochs, connected by an underground waterway system with up to three headrace tunnels. Key elements of the project include building a powerhouse, an indoor electrical switchyard, two aqueducts, a new road junction, and a bridge over the River Spean, which flows near the site.