Nestled on the bank of Loch Ness lies Foyers Hydro Plant. The pumped storage facility can go from standby to “full-gen” in less than 15 seconds allowing the potential energy of water to be converted into electricity and feeding the National Grid during peak demand. It is hoped that with the increased development of wind hydro can help “smooth” the fluctuating output of wind power by being on fast response.

From the exterior Foyer’s seems a non-descript industrial building. However the main hall contains 2 excavated shafts over 120 ft in depth. The base houses some of Europe’s largest turbines and valves that require nothing but gravity and the pressure of water to generate 300MW of Power comparable to the average coal-fired thermal station.