EnergyPathways signs port deal to advance Britain’s largest energy storage project Proactive uses images sourced from Shutterstock
EnergyPathways PLC (AIM:EPP), the energy transition company, has signed a collaboration agreement with Associated British Ports (ABP) to evaluate the Port of Barrow as the base for onshore facilities linked to its large-scale Marram Energy Storage Hub (MESH) project.
The deal will see the two companies examine the feasibility of building a compressed air energy storage operations base, gas and hydrogen storage facilities, and connection infrastructure for the project’s offshore storage assets in the East Irish Sea.
MESH, which has been designated a project of national significance by the UK government, combines compressed air electrical storage with natural gas and hydrogen storage using large-scale subsea salt caverns.
The project’s licence area has the potential to support the construction of up to 60 sub-surface caverns, and subject to approvals and financing, MESH is targeted to enter operation in 2031.
EnergyPathways says the project will harness wasted wind energy, generating multi-day dispatchable power at a lower cost and with lower emissions than gas-fired power plants.
It would also more than double Britain’s gas storage capacity, storing around six days of national supply.
The plans for Barrow extend beyond energy storage, with the companies also examining the potential for hydrogen and graphite production facilities at the port.
Graphite is a critical mineral used in civil nuclear, defence and battery applications, and its production would align with the UK’s 2035 Critical Minerals strategy.
The collaboration fits within a broader regeneration effort for Barrow led by Team Barrow, a government initiative involving BAE Systems, Westmorland and Furness Council and the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
EnergyPathways is already working on MESH with a tier-one partner group consisting of Siemens Energy, Wood, Costain and Zenith Energy.
Ben Clube, chief executive of EnergyPathways, said the Port of Barrow provides access to the company’s offshore storage development areas alongside strategically located land and export infrastructure suited to supporting MESH’s onshore operations.
Any commercial agreement between the two parties remains subject to financing and planning approvals.