The UK’s Coire Glas pumped storage hydro project could support nearly 3,000 construction jobs at peak, deliver nearly £2bn for businesses and generate £1.5bn in economic value, according to an independent economic impact study.
In Scotland alone, the project could support 1,180 construction jobs at peak, deliver £1.35bn in expenditure with Scottish firms and generate £656m in economic value.
The research, undertaken by BiGGAR Economics, says that once operational, Coire Glas could support 60 long-term UK jobs annually during its operating life, generating £7m in economic value for the UK each year.
The study also estimates that SSE’s proposed 1.44GW project in the Scottish Highlands would require around £3bn of private capital investment.
SSE has already invested more than £100m in developing Coire Glas. In 2024, Strabag UK completed a 1.2km exploratory tunnel for the project, which is potentially the UK’s first large-scale pumped storage scheme in 40 years.
SSE’s decision to build Coire Glas depends on securing an investible outcome through Ofgem’s Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES) framework.
SSE Renewables managing director Stephen Wheeler said Coire Glas had the potential to be one of the most important infrastructure projects built in the UK in a generation. It would deliver major economic benefits and strengthen the country’s energy security.
“Unlocking that opportunity now depends on securing an investable outcome through Ofgem’s Long Duration Electricity Storage framework. A number of detailed arrangements need to be resolved to secure an investable outcome so a project of this scale and complexity can progress. If that can be achieved, Coire Glas could deliver decades of benefits for workers, consumers, communities and the wider economy, during construction and throughout its operating life,” he said.
