Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney visited Cruachan pumped storage plant this week. Image courtesy of Drax GroupScotland’s First Minister John Swinney has visited Drax Group’s Cruachan pumped storage hydropower plant to see progress on an £80 million upgrade and refurbishment programme. Located inside Ben Cruachan, Cruachan opened in 1965 and was the first large-scale reversible pumped storage hydropower facility in the world. Steve Scott, Plant Manager at Cruachan Power Station, said: “Cruachan is one of Scotland’s great engineering achievements and remains central to the country’s clean energy future. Its wider Scottish portfolio includes wind and solar assets and two battery energy storage system developments.