Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 25 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what increase in capacity of pumped storage hydropower in Scotland it estimates there will be in each of the next five years.
Long duration electricity storage, such as pumped hydro storage, plays a vital role in providing flexibility services to the grid and ensuring a resilient electricity system.
There is currently 0.74 GW of pumped hydro storage operational in Scotland, with 4.79 GW awaiting construction and 4.20 GW awaiting a planning decision. It is not possible for the Scottish Government to estimate when projects will become operational as these are commercial decisions.
We have co-commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan for Great Britain to provide greater clarity on the shape of our future energy system.