Glenmuckloch opencast mine hydro energy bid support advised

Developers say the project could create hundreds of jobs during construction

A council is being advised to support plans to create a hydro energy and storage system at an opencast mine site in southern Scotland.

The pumped storage hydro (PSH) scheme would be constructed at Glenmuckloch near Kirkconnel.

It has been claimed it could create hundreds of jobs during construction.

The Scottish government will have the final say on the project due to its scale but Dumfries and Galloway Council is being advised to offer no objection.

PSH works by releasing water from a higher waterbody to a lower one and passing it through a turbine or series of turbines to generate electricity.

Water is then pumped back up the hill and stored in the upper reservoir until further electricity is required.

The 400MW Dumfries and Galloway project is led by Buccleuch Estates and 2020 Renewables.

It has been claimed that the system could generate power for more than a century.

The developers say the construction phase of up to six years would support many jobs and generate tens of million of pounds for the local economy.