Cruachan powers ahead with new support contract

Drax’s Cruachan power station has just won a six-year contract to keep the National Grid stable.

The contract will see the pumped storage hydro station at Lochawe provide system support services to the National Grid to help it maintain secure supplies.

Andy Koss, right, chief executive of Drax Generation, said: ‘Provision of these crucial services is central to Drax’s purpose of enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future.

‘Our strategic aim is to be a leading provider of system services which support the deployment of more renewable power.

‘It could also help to bring us a step closer to our ambition to become a carbon negative company by 2030.’

This is the first tender National Grid Electricity System Operator has run under phase one of its System Stability Pathfinder.

Under the terms of the provisional contract, one of the four turbines at the 440MW Cruachan pumped storage hydro power station in Argyll and Bute, will no longer generate power. Instead the turbine will only be used to provide the services needed to support the system.

The National Grid is planning other stability tenders to take place, both nationally and regionally which provide an opportunity to secure further contracts for some of Drax’s other power generation assets.

The contract means Drax will provide services such as inertia, which keeps the system stable, and reactive power which helps move power around the grid.