60 years of Cruachan Power Station

Scotland’s clean energy trailblazer

Cruachan Power Station, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1965. It was the first reversible pumped storage hydro system of this scale to be built in the world and is now one of just four pumped storage hydro power stations in the UK.

Over the past 60 years, Cruachan has been keeping the lights on for hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK, as well as delivering growth and opportunity for local communities.

Coinciding with its 60^th anniversary, Cruachan is currently undergoing a major £80m upgrade project which will boost the facility’s capacity by 10%. This means it will continue to provide power for thousands of additional homes and support UK energy security for decades to come.

(Video credit: National World and John Devlin)

Special 60th anniversary supplements

We’ve worked with The Scotsman, one of Scotland’s leading newspapers, to produce a special supplement about Cruachan’s 60-year legacy. Discover Cruachan’s story below:

Read The Scotsman supplement

We’ve also partnered with Oban Times, a local newspaper in Argyll and Bute, to produce a similar supplement to mark Cruachan’s 60th anniversary. This supplement features unique interviews with some of the people who worked on the construction.

Read the Oban Times supplement

Clean energy whatever the weather

Learn more about Cruachan in The Scotsman

When the wind doesn’t blow and sun doesn’t shine, Cruachan steps in to provide clean power for hundreds of thousands of homes.

Pumped storage hydro is a large-scale method of storing energy that can be converted into hydroelectric power. Cruachan’s design enables it to store excess renewable power from sources such as wind farms. When the wind isn’t blowing, the plant then uses this stored power to plug gaps in supplies – making it a critical component of the UK’s energy security.

Cruachan upgrade project

Cruachan Power Station can play an even bigger role in the fight against climate change, enabling the UK to reach its goal of having a clean power system by 2030.

We’re investing £80m in a major upgrade of Cruachan Power Station, which will increase the facility’s total generating capacity by 10%, bringing it to 480MW. The upgrade will improve the site’s operability and reliability, lengthening its lifespan and further supporting UK energy security.

During the upgrade, the number of jobs supported by the power station will triple over the next three years. This will help to bring new opportunities, skills and clean energy for years to come.

The people behind the power

Cruachan Power Station is helping to create the homegrown engineers of tomorrow. More than 10% of the power station’s workforce are local apprentices – Owen Moran is one of them. Brought up on Cruachan’s doorstep, Owen, aged 19, feels great pride in being able to now call it his workplace.

Sarah Cameron, Community Manager at Cruachan Power Station, also lives nearby and grew up visiting the power station on school trips during her childhood. Watch this video to hear from them (Video credit: National World and John Devlin):

Find out more about our people in The Scotsman

Supporting our communities

Cruachan is more than just hydropower: it’s been an iconic part of the landscape and local community since 1965. Through the Drax Foundation and Community Fund, Cruachan supports a range of community and educational projects, from Scottish rainforest restoration to STEM learning.

Find out what Cruachan means to the local community:

Join us in our celebrations

To celebrate Cruachan’s 60th anniversary, we’re planning a series of upcoming events and features. Check this page or our social media channels for regular updates on our activities.

As part of our celebrations, we’re inviting you to share your memories of the power station through photos and video from years gone by. We’d love to use these as part of the celebrations across all our channels, so please do scan, share and send your memories to us at [email protected]