Ofgem has confirmed that 77 projects have passed the eligibility stage of the UK government’s Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES) cap and floor support scheme. The regulator received 171 applications, of which fewer than half met the criteria to proceed to full project assessment.
Among the technologies approved are five pumped storage hydro (PSH) projects, representing 4.6GW of capacity. These are:
- Coire Glas – 1450MW (Track 2)
- Earba – 1800MW (Track 2)
- Glenmuckloch – 210MW (Track 1)
- Loch Kemp – 660MW (Track 1)
- Loch na Cathrach – 500MW (Track 1)
The LDES scheme is intended to support investment in projects able to store and release electricity for at least eight hours. Technologies include lithium-ion batteries, vanadium flow batteries, compressed air, and liquid air storage, alongside pumped storage hydro.
Beatrice Filkin, Director of Major Projects Infrastructure at Ofgem, said: “Renewable power is the key to seizing control of our own energy system and end the costly reliance on the turbulent wholesale gas market, so we don’t want to see a single watt go to waste.
“That’s why we need to boost our ability to store as much homegrown energy as we can to let the turbines keep turning when the wind is at its strongest – and on the days when the gusts drop and the sun doesn’t shine that reserve of excess clean power can be called upon.
“There’s lots of different ways you can do this – with batteries, compressed air or pumped hydro storage – and we’ll consider them all, as this technology is vital for a modern energy system.”
Energy Minister Michael Shanks added: “This is another huge step forward in reversing the legacy that has seen no new long duration storage built for 40 years – a technology that will see Britain take back control of its energy supply and protect billpayers for good.
“By scaling this up, we can transform the way electricity is supplied in this country when demand is high – using stored up low-cost, homegrown solar and wind power to help end our reliance on costly fossil fuel markets once and for all.”
Ofgem will now require detailed submissions from the eligible projects before moving to the final assessment. Decisions on which projects will receive cap and floor revenue support are expected in summer 2026.
