The Ffestiniog plant in Snowdonia is expected to play an increasing role in providing flexible power to manage intermittent supplies from wind and solar AlamyBritain’s first big pumped hydroelectric power station is to undergo a £50 million refurbishment to extend its life by 20 years. The Ffestiniog plant in Snowdonia was built in 1963 and can generate 360 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply north Wales, for up to three and a half hours at a time. It works by releasing water from an upper reservoir down through tunnels in the mountain to turn turbines and generate electricity, before discharging it into a lower reservoir. Water is pumped back up when electricity supplies are plentiful, typically at night. Engie, the facility’s French owner, said that it had awarded a £50 million contract to refurbish two of the four units at the ageing power station, which otherwise would have had…

Source: The Times August 15, 2017 23:03 UTC