by Marian Pallister (Author)
By Alasdair Macdonald
It is a long time since the Cruachan scheme was built which demonstrated the feasibility of such projects at a time when UK Government policy was about oil, gas and nuclear, with some continuing coal use.
Such schemes were for ‘remote areas’, like Scotland.
The main drawback is higher start up costs – the Cruachan scheme entails hollowing out a mountain. This kind of expenditure is often too much for governments which usually think only in terms of 4/5 year election cycles and, for many investors, this kind of time frame is too long to make a quick profit. Such schemes can fall foul of the neoliberal Thatcherite economics which UK governments have adhered to for 50 years and which Reeves appears to have adopted. It is based on discredited notions of debt and the badness of public expenditure, even for capital projects.
Because of Scotland’s enormous renewables potential, like the oil and gas discovery in the North Sea, which was suppressed by the then Labour Government, Scotland can become one of the wealthiest countries in the World. Westminster cannot allow that. So, it has created British Energy to be based in Aberdeen …… for now! Labour set up BRITISH OIL – based in St Vincent St in Glasgow – to asset strip Scotland for oil and gas companies. Then Thatcher privatised it and St Vincent St offices were flogged off. The egregious and personally greedy present Labour cabinet members no doubt have the same plans for renewables and is updating the National Grid to facilitate rapid transfer of energy to England. And, in all likelihood, the upgraded National Grid will still charge Scottish customers more for ‘transmission charges’ because we are ‘remote’ – remote from London, that is, not remote from where the electricity is generated. Against all the laws of physics apparently the electricity generated has to travel to London to be sent back to Scotland.
Octopus Energy has a scheme whereby ‘transmission charges’ can be localised. But, the question is, ‘Has it given the Labour Party a big enough ‘bung’?’
‘Cruachan!’ was the battle cry of the Campbells. In the early 1960s, the invasion of the 3,000 men who hollowed out Argyll’s noblest and highest mountain as part of a massive hydroelectric project could have annihilated the local community. Instead, the people of Loch Awe, Dalmally and Taynuilt welcomed the invaders, embraced the project and emerged the winners. Fifty years on, an integrated community still lives under the Hollow Mountain, and the cry ‘Cruachan!’ signifies a Scottish success story.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
absolutely.
But, but, but…
british propaganda 1 6pm news headlines “GB first country” o world closing of coal mines. Guff, first country was Scotland with closure of Longannet.
Then the imperial propaganda channel highlights reasons……. Scottish gas and oil … Eeeh???…… onshore wind excess…..eeeh???? And now offshore wind…..eeeh…?? Pure propaganda and one to save.
dottieb
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Aye, propaganda on steroids – The BBC appear to have entirely forgotten about the new Cumbria coal mine project under the Tory government which was only stopped recently by a legal case…. – The British way… If history presents some inconvenient truths, re-write history….
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To add to the excellent post on Cruachan:
On 10 January 2019, the website of the Drax company had this headline: ‘ ‘Drax acquires Cruachan Power Station as part of £702m power deal – Cruachan Power Station in Argyll which produces enough flexible electricity to power more than 90,000 households has been acquired by Drax Group as part of a £702 million deal.’
Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO at the time was quoted: “By being able to run the plant in a range of different modes, we can generate very flexible power which not only keeps the lights on for thousands of households, but also provides crucial system support services to the grid, maintaining secure supplies and enabling more renewables like wind power onto the system.”
‘The plant usually runs for short periods to meet peaks in demand, but it can operate continuously at full output for around 15 hours if necessary.’
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Sorry Stewart, but struggling to wrap my head around the Andy Koss 2019 bullshit over Cruachan of ” …and enabling more renewables like wind power onto the system ” – Was this part of the ‘when there is a dead calm across all the British Isles’ (for the first time in nautical history) HMG strategy to promote nuclear, which the State of a Secretary for Scotland is still reciting ?
There is no doubt Cruachan was pivotal in proving the concept of pumped storage/regeneration as a viable business model, else Drax wouldn’t have bought it, but it does rather destroy the concept of the ‘big boys’ innovating, when there are political affiliations in play, an uncomfortably all too common facet of British governments, enabling profiteering and asset-stripping…
een existing renewables which cannot ‘get onto the system’ before
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