TECHNICAL | DRILL & BLAST - COIRE GLAS PROJECT


EXPLORATORY WORKS: BUILDING


COIRE GLAS UNDERSTANDING The BTS evening meeting in September 2025 heard a lecture of the Exploratory Works for the


planned Coire Glas pumped storage hydropower project, in Scotland. Speakers were Sean Murchie, Engineering Geologist with project developer SSE Renewables; Tom Taplin, Engineering Geologist in the design joint venture of Stantec-Cowi; Joe Coxson, Tunnel Agent with contractor Strabag; and, Tom Robinson, Engineering and Technical Manager with Strabag. They have kindly co- authored this report on their presentation.


Above: Testing niche construction in Gallery-B of Coire Glas Exploratory Adit PHOTO CREDIT: JOE COXSON


After the summer break, on 18 September 2025 a large audience returned to the Telford Theatre at the ICE, in London, for an insight into the recently completed Exploratory Works for the Coire Glas hydropower project under development in Scotland.


10 | February 2026


The night was also notable as the first time, of hopefully many, when a joint lecture has been held with (mostly) BTSYM speakers to the full membership. For a relatively small project, it would have been a wonder to some why four speakers were necessary,


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