Cruachan
The Hollow Mountain. Cruachan is a 440 MW pumped-storage station in Scotland, operated by Drax Group. The UK government lists it as operational in its register of power stations (DUKES table 5.11, May 2025).
- Scotland
- Commissioned 1965
Key facts
- Installed capacity
- 440 MW
- Status
- Operational
- Technology
- Pumped-storage
- Operator
- Part of Drax Group
- Region
- Scotland
- Country
- Scotland
- Coordinates
- 56.3054, -5.1212
- Commissioned
- 1965
- Turbines
- 4
- Cavern length m
- 91
- Cavern height m
- 36
- Head metres
- 365
- Upper reservoir
- Cruachan Reservoir
Location
Map position from the published coordinates. For small sites this can be an approximate point rather than the exact boundary. Map Β© OpenStreetMap contributors.
How Cruachan compares
Pumped-storage stations work like giant batteries: they pump water uphill into a reservoir when electricity is cheap or plentiful and release it through turbines when demand is high.
All UK hydro schemes and pumped-storage stations Hydro schemes and pumped-storage stations in Scotland All run by Drax GroupAbout Cruachan
History
Built between 1959 and 1965, 1,200 workers β many Irish and Polish immigrants β dug a kilometre into the mountain to create the vast cavern that houses the turbines. Queen Elizabeth II opened it in 1965. A Β£500m expansion to add a second station (Cruachan 2) was approved in 2024, doubling capacity.
Did you know?
- The cavern is big enough to hold the Tower of London
- Has a visitor centre 1km inside the mountain
- Features in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough
- Expansion will add another 600MW by 2030
Nearby generating sites
- Nant Power Station - A,E Β· 15 MW hydroelectric station7.2 km
- Douglas Water Β· 2.97 MW small hydro scheme10.3 km
- Clachan Flats Β· 15 MW onshore wind farm11.2 km
- An Suidhe Β· 19.3 MW onshore wind farm11.4 km
- Awe Barrage - A Β· 0.89 MW small hydro scheme13.2 km
- Allt Na Lairige Power Station Β· 6 MW hydroelectric station13.8 km
- Beinn Ghlas Β· 8.4 MW onshore wind farm13.8 km
- Deanie Β· 38 MW hydroelectric station13.9 km
Also operated by Part of Drax Group
Part of Drax Group operates 10 sites in the register. Largest first:
- Drax Power Station Biomass Units Β· biomass power station2,580 MW
- Tongland Β· hydroelectric station33 MW
- Kendoon Β· hydroelectric station24 MW
- Glenlee Β· hydroelectric station24 MW
- Earlstoun Β· hydroelectric station14 MW
- Carsfad Β· hydroelectric station12 MW
- Bonnington Β· hydroelectric station11 MW
- Stonebyres Β· hydroelectric station6 MW
Source
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), table 5.11: power stations in the United Kingdom.
Capacity is installed capacity as published, not current output. Status reflects the source date, not live operation.
View the original source
Last checked by Octary: 15 July 2026
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