Cruachan Power Station

Cruachan Power Station
The dam containing the upper reservoir
Country	Scotland
Location	Argyll and Bute
Coordinates	56°24′23″N 05°06′47″W / 56.40639°N 5.11306°W / 56.40639; -5.11306
Status	Operational
Construction began	1959[1]
Opening date	15 October 1965
Owner(s)	Drax Power
Upper reservoir
Creates	Cruachan Reservoir
Total capacity	10,000,000 m3 (350,000,000 cu ft)[2] (7 GWh)
Lower reservoir
Creates	Loch Awe
Power Station
Hydraulic head	396 m (1,299 ft)
Pump-generators	4
Installed capacity	440 MW (590,000 hp)
Annual generation	705 GWh (2,540 TJ) (2009)[3]
Website www.visitcruachan.co.uk

The Cruachan Power Station (also known as the Cruachan Dam) is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK. The scheme can provide 440 MW of power and produced 705 GWh in 2009.

The turbine hall is located inside Ben Cruachan, and the scheme takes water between Cruachan Reservoir to Loch Awe, a height difference of 396 m (1,299 ft). It is one of only four pumped storage power stations in the United Kingdom, and is capable of providing a black start capability to the National Grid.

Construction began in 1959 to coincide with the Hunterston A nuclear power station in Ayrshire. Cruachan uses cheap off-peak electricity generated at night to pump water to the higher reservoir, which can then be released during the day to provide power as necessary. The power station is open to visitors, and around 50,000 tourists visit it each year.