Ground broken on Coire Glas project

The Coire Glas pumped hydro storage development has taken a symbolic step forward as ground was broken on the project for the first time.

Contractors from BAM Ritchies began work near Kilfinnan Farm on Wednesday 3 November (pictured). The activity is part of Kilfinnan Road Ground Investigation Works, which will help the Coire Glas team to assess the options for upgrading the Kilfinnan Road to enable the main construction works that are scheduled to commence from 2024.

Ian Innes, Coire Glas project director, said: “This is a significant moment for Coire Glas. Since attaining planning consent for the proposal in October 2020, the project team has been working extremely hard to move the project forward and the start of Ground Investigation Works is the next phase of that hard work. The information we gather during the Ground Investigation Works will be extremely helpful in planning the next steps for Coire Glas.”

A final decision on whether to proceed with construction of Coire Glas will be taken in December 2023 once the Exploratory Works have been completed. The scheme would create enough capacity to power three million homes for periods of up to 24 hours and make a significant contribution towards Scottish and UK Government zero emission targets.