Power plant · Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cruachan Upgrade Project (Unis 3 & 4)
Cruachan Upgrade Project (Unis 3 & 4) is a permitted power plant in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, with 40 MW of capacity, operated by 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, 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 | 14 Dec 2023 (permit ECU00004537, 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 | 19 Jan 2023 (reference ECU00004537, planning authority Scottish Government (S36)) | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Decision date | 14 Dec 2023 (granted, reference ECU00004537, planning authority Scottish Government (S36)) | 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 | 40 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 | 56.3975, -5.1151 | DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · checked 24 Oct 2026 |
Research on this power plant and its operator.Who owns it up to the parent company, its grid connection and planning status, and an introduction to the operator.
Request researchLatest events
Dated events about this power plant from official notices and registers, newest first. All recent changes.
- Permit granted (planning authority Scottish Government (S36), reference ECU00004537)
- Permit applied for (planning authority Scottish Government (S36), reference ECU00004537)
How it compares
Cruachan Upgrade Project (Unis 3 & 4) is the 446th-largest of 872 power plants planned, permitted or under construction in Scotland and the 1,342nd-largest of 3,222 in the United Kingdom by capacity; its 40 MW is <0.1% of the 300,461 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 | 446th of 872 | 99,272 MW | <0.1% |
| United Kingdom | 1,342nd of 3,222 | 300,461 MW | <0.1% |
| All power plants planned, permitted or under construction in our data | 2,556th of 6,455 | 664,040 MW | <0.1% |
Nearby
Within 50 km of this power plant: 55 substations and 39 grid connections (28 operating, 303 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kilchrenan Primary | Substation | — | — | 5.5 km |
| 66MW WIND grid connection | Grid connection | 66 MW | Planned | 5.5 km |
| Inverawe Power Station grid connection | Grid connection | 24.7 MW | Operating | 7.0 km |
| Taynuilt GSP | Substation | — | — | 7.1 km |
| Taynuilt Primary | Substation | — | — | 7.1 km |
| Ichrachan Farm 50MW BESS grid connection | Grid connection | 50 MW | Planned | 7.6 km |
Operator and place
More from Drax Power Limited
- Drax Re-power1,800 MW · permitted
- Drax Biomass Power Station - Unit 1645 MW
- Drax Biomass Power Station - Unit 3645 MW
- Drax Biomass Power Station - Unit 2645 MW
- Drax Biomass Power Station - Unit 4645 MW
- Cruachan Hydro Expansion600 MW · permitted
- Drax Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage Projectpower plant · permitted
- Drax Power Station grid connection3,906 MW
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
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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.