QueueWatchby QueueQuant Price my project Get the plan that holds up best for your site, and where that answer flips.
Delays and exits in the transmission queue since 2021How often connection dates move, and how many projects leave the queue. Gate 2 in the transmission queueHow much of the queue has a Gate 2 offer, and what it did to connection dates. The battery queue and CMP470’s commitment feeHow far the battery queue sits above the line that would switch CMP470’s commitment fee off. Changes of customer in the transmission queueHow often connection agreements move between companies, and how those projects fared. Do projects connect on time?How late stages have connected against their connection date in the register. Which connection dates slip least?Which connection dates are pushed back least, allowing for how far ahead they are. Grid outages and the connections due by 2030How many of their planned outages the transmission owners carry out, against the connections due by 2030.

More analyses are on the way.

Transmission / Projects / South Scotland

Cruachan U3&4 Replacement

DRAX PUMPED STORAGE LIMITED at Cruachan 275kV Substation

Connection date
4 Apr 2029 +22 months since 9 Dec
Gate
Gate 2
Status
Consents Approved
Technology
Pumped storage
Total capacity
480 MW
Connected now
440 MW
Still to connect
40 MW
Transmission owner
SP Energy Networks (SPT)
Agreement type
Direct Connection
Region
South Scotland
Project number
PRO-000113
In the register since
January 2021 or earlier

Stages

StageConnected MWAdds MWCumulative MWDateGateStatus
14400440NoneNot statedBuilt
20404804 Apr 2029Gate 2Consents Approved

Change history

Every change to this project across 151 registers from 29 Jan 2021 to 5 Nov 2026.

  • 21 Sep 2026 register
    Stage 2: Status changed from Scoping to Consents Approved
  • 21 Sep 2026 register
    Stage 2: Given a Gate 2 connection offer
  • 28 Aug 2026 register
    Stage 2: Connection date moved from 1 Jun 2027 to 4 Apr 2029 (+22 months)
  • 24 Mar 2026 register
    Renamed from Cruachan
  • 27 Sep 2024 register
    Connection point changed from Dalmally GSP to Cruachan 275kV Substation
  • 23 Dec 2022 register
    Substation name updated in the register (from Dalmally to Dalmally GSP)
  • 30 Sep 2022 register
    New stage added (40 MW from 1 Jun 2027)
  • 30 Jul 2021 register
    Customer changed from DRAX POWER LIMITED to DRAX PUMPED STORAGE LIMITED

Also at Cruachan 275kV Substation

Substation view

1 other project, 640 MW still to connect at this substation in total.

Status definitions (NESO)

Scoping: NESO is not aware that a planning application has been made.

Awaiting Consents: NESO is aware, or the customer has told it, that a planning application has been made.

Consents Approved: NESO is aware, or the customer has told it, that the planning application has been approved.

Terminated: used by NESO only in its register of 30 April 2021, for two projects that left the register the next month.

These statuses are NESO’s, not QueueWatch’s, and NESO describes them as “as far as we are aware”, so a project may be further along than its status shows.

Source: NESO