Electric off-road championship Extreme E will stage its first event in Scotland in a disused opencast coal mine, as part of its efforts to highlight the industry transition away from fossil fuels.
The Hydro X Prix, the second round of this year’s championship, will be held on May 13/14 at the former Glenmuckloch mine in Dumfries and Galloway. It will be the second time Extreme E has held a round in the UK, following the Jurassic X Prix that was held at Bovington Camp in Dorset to conclude the inaugural 2021 season.
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Extreme E was launched with a plan to race in remote locations around the world to highlight the impact of climate change, but the success of the Dorset event and the Island X Prix in Sardinia, Italy has prompted organisers to add the new Scottish round. The 2023 season-opener was held in Saudi Arabia.
The Glenmuckloch coal mine closed in 2013 and work will shortly begin to turn the site into a wind farm and Pumped Storage Hydropower plant. Series boss Alejandro Agag said that the event will “play homage to the much needed transition of an old coal mine which is being given a new and exciting lease of life as a hydro-project which will provide a fully renewable energy source for the region for centuries to come.”
The Extreme E category features ten teams each running a single electric SUV-styled Odyssey 21 buggy, which are shared between male and female drivers.
Jenson Button, who owns the JBXE team, added: “It is brilliant that we will be returning to the UK for Extreme E Season 3 and we are really looking forward to the next round of the championship in Scotland. There is such a passion for motorsport in the UK, and it is great that the series is returning to its roots once again.”
While the event will be held in Scotland, it will remain a non-spectator event, in order to help minimise the environmental impact. The event will be broadcast on STC and ITV in the UK.
Funding to develop the renewable energy projects at the Glenmuckloch site was secured in 2022. The planned Pump Storage Hydropower plant will be able to deliver 210MW per hour, and offer eight hours of storage capacity. For comparison, 1MW of energy can power 2000 average-sized homes for an hour.
Using two 105MW hydro-turbines, the PSH site can store power during periods of excess energy supply, and then release that stored energy at times of high demand. The wind farm planned for the site will comprise eight 4.2MW turbines, and can be used to power the PSH plant.
Extreme E organisers will also hold their own legacy programme, planting more than a 1000 trees and also helping protect salmon stocks in the River Nith area.
The St Helena ship that carries the Extreme E freight and cars around the world, is due to dock in Glasgow in April to prepare for the event.
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