英国在30多年来的第一个大型泵存储水力发电项目获得了所有必要的批准，并进行了建筑采购，但是苏格兰的13亿美元，1.5亿美元的1.5 gw Coire Glas Complece正在停滞不前，而其开发人员正在等待更好的财务财务激励方法。

该项目将涉及建造一个高层水库，该水库可在苏格兰高地的威廉堡东北约15公里处提供500米的下降。

"We are in a position to build," says Ian Innes, Coire Glas project director for utility SSE Renewables. "The moment has come for pumped storage."

公司开发总监迈克·西顿（Mike Seaton）表示，到2050年，该项目将每年从国家系统能源成本中削减9亿美元。新利18备用官网登录他引用了伦敦帝国学院的独立顾问的一项SSE委托研究，他们说新利18备用75％的储蓄将来自不必实施更高资本密集型清洁能源生成方法。

The project would involve construction of an upper reservoir providing a 500-m drop to the existing Loch Lochy lake in the Scottish Highlands.
图片：SSE可再生能源
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But the study also found that the U.K. electricity market is incapable of recognizing the benefit of a pumped storage hydro strategy to meet decarbonization and supply security targets. It also identified large revenue uncertainties "making the investment case challenging for high capex long-duration storage technologies."

在全球范围内，漫长的交货时间，允许风险和“缺乏长期收入知名度，在具有雄心勃勃的长期脱碳目标的国家停滞了抽水的储存水力部署，”国际能源机构在其报告中指出水电特别市场报告分析和预测到2030年.

But as development of variable output renewable energy strategies balloons globally, demand for pumped storage hydro will rise, potentially leading to 65 GW of new capacity globally by 2030, IEA forecasts. That would nearly double the decade record of 34 GW in 1971-1980, it adds.

For SSE's Coire Glas to be part of that growth, the company needs the security of a payment mechanism, such as a regulated "cap and floor," setting upper and lower allowable profits over perhaps a 25-year period, says Innes.

The company is encouraged by recent developments. Last July, government energy officials published a plan outlining the role of storage technologies, including pumped storage hydro, in achieving carbon targets. It now accounts for 75% of the U.K.'s 4 GW of electricity storage, mainly at the 1,728-MW Dinorwig plant in Wales, commissioned in 1983. The government also is reviewing how to tailor the electricity generation capacity market for projects with long construction periods, such as pumped storage hydro,

商业障碍

Commercial hurdles have stood in the way of Coire Glas since SSE first secured Scottish government approval for a 600-MW scheme in 2013. While failing to make a start, SSE enlarged the scheme to 1.5-GW capacity and 90 GWh storage, gaining necessary approvals in October 2020. Innes says a final decision will be made in December 2023 that aims for six or seven years of construction to start the by the following April.

"Over the next couple of years, we will work with the supply chain to understand what their approach ... will be," says Innes. For the design/build contract, "we wanted to be able to control who the mechanical and electrical contractor would be because in a pumped hydro scheme ... the mechanical plant is key" he adds.

SSE has launched a two-stage procurement process, starting with bid invitations in December to four competitors for the civil construction and to three for the mechanical and electrical component. By April, SSE will receive price and method offers based on a reference design by Canada-based Stantec Inc., resulting in a shortlist of two civil contractors and one M&E.

Bidders for the civil work are

贝克特尔有限公司与交流ciona Construcción S.A. and Webuild S.p.A;

—Eiffage Géni Civil, BeMo Tunnelling U.K. Ltd., BAM Nuttall Ltd., and Marti Tunnel A.G.;

—Strabag U.K. Ltd.;

—Dragados S.A.

Innes说，这两个入围的民事承包商将“有机会与M＆E供应商交谈，最终成为M＆E供应商。”两位与同一M＆E公司合作的民事承包商将向整个项目提交投标。

The time needed to develop bids will depend on the site investigation progress, he adds. The civil construction bidders "need to know rock conditions ... that will be a huge influence on their pricing," Innes says, adding that he expects drill and blasting of a pilot bore along the access tunnel route to start next June and last up to a year.

SSE is developing the project alone but "we do have a lot of interest from possible equity partners and we are keeping the option of project finance open," he says.

Australia Expands 1970s Scheme

Australia has used the approach with its 2-GW Snowy Mountain 2.0 pumped storage hydro scheme, located about 50 km southwest of Canberra, with construction led by a Coire Glas bidder.

Starting in August 2020, Webuild, its U.S. subsidiary Lane Construction and Perth, Australia-based Clough Group Pty. Ltd., in a joint venture, launched construction of 27 km of tunnels between the Tantangara and Talbingo reservoirs.

The $3.7-billion project will expand the original 4-GW Snowy Mountain pumped storage hydro completed in the mid 1970s.

With 350,000 MW-hours of storage capacity, the expansion is set for completion on schedule in 2025, says Paul Broad, CEO of project owner Snowy Hydro Ltd.

The construction team in December commissioned the project's second TBM, as the first completed more than one-third of the 2.6-km main access tunnel to the powerhouse site, about 800 m below ground.

Built to drill slopes at grades of up to 47%, the new, 11-m dia. Herrenknecht machine will bore an 2.9 km emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel, followed by a 1.4-km inclined pressure shaft and 2.4 km of the headrace tunnel.