Power plant · Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cruachan Hydro Expansion
Cruachan Hydro Expansion is a permitted power plant in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, with 600 MW of capacity, operated by Stantec UK and Drax Power Limited.
Facts
Every value links to its source, and to the source's own record where it has one. Licences and last-checked dates are per row.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Argyll and Bute (coordinates), Scotland | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Address | E/O Cruachan, 1 Power Station On The Northern Banks Of Lochawe, Taynuilt, PA35 | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Status | Permitted (planning permission granted) | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Permit date | 21 Jul 2023 (permit ECU00004492, Electricity Act 1989 section 36, issued by Scottish Government (S36)) | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Application date | 12 May 2022 (ref. ECU00004492, Scottish Government (S36)) | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Decision date | 21 Jul 2023 (granted, ref. ECU00004492, Scottish Government (S36)) | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Operator | Stantec UK | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Operator | Drax Power Limited | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Capacity | 600 MW | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Technology | Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Coordinates | 56.4338, -5.2320 | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
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How it compares
Cruachan Hydro Expansion is the 29th-largest of 872 power plants planned, permitted or under construction in Scotland and the 90th-largest of 3,222 in the United Kingdom by capacity; its 600 MW is 0.2% of the 300,661 MW of power plants planned, permitted or under construction we hold for the United Kingdom. It is not built yet, so it is ranked among the power plants planned, permitted or under construction in our data, apart from the ones running today. Ranks and totals cover the ones that report their capacity.
| Within | Rank | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 29th of 872 | 99,272 MW | 0.6% |
| United Kingdom | 90th of 3,222 | 300,661 MW | 0.2% |
| All power plants planned, permitted or under construction in our data | 192nd of 6,455 | 664,240 MW | <0.1% |
Nearby
Within 50 km of this power plant: 53 substations and 38 grid connections (29 operating, 304 MW), measured from the coordinates in the facts above. The table shows the nearest 6, up to 3 per kind.
| Name | Kind | Size | Status | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichrachan Farm 50MW BESS grid connection | Grid connection | 50 MW | Planned | 0.9 km |
| Taynuilt Primary | Substation | — | — | 1.1 km |
| Taynuilt GSP | Substation | — | — | 1.2 km |
| Inverawe Power Station grid connection | Grid connection | 24.7 MW | Operating | 1.5 km |
| Beinn GHLAS Windfarm grid connection | Grid connection | 7.6 MW | Operating | 1.9 km |
| Kenmore Primary | Substation | — | — | 2.6 km |
Operators and place
Other power plants in Scotland
- Seagreen1,075 MW
- Moray East950 MW
- Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Project882 MW
- Lewis Wind Farm (Barvas Moor)652 MW
- Beatrice588 MW
- Neart na Gaoithe450 MW
- Viking Wind Farm443 MW
- Cruachan440 MW
Data on this page
- DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Sep 2026). EIA-860 / 860M / 923, Public domain.
- Bundesnetzagentur, Marktstammdatenregister. Marktstammdatenregister, DL-DE-BY-2.0.
- Planning Inspectorate: National Infrastructure Projects. Planning Inspectorate: National Infrastructure Projects, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- RVO SDE(+)(+) projecten in beheer and SDE viewer. RVO SDE(+)(+) projecten in beheer and SDE viewer, Free reuse, no attribution required.
- SSEN Distribution. SSEN Distribution data portal, CC BY 4.0.