Petronas seals 20-year deal with MISC for newbuild...
15 hours ago
England-based energy transition-focused player EnergyPathways has joined forces with Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest ports group, to jointly evaluate the Port of Barrow on the southwest coast of Cumbria as the onshore facilities site for its large-scale energy storage project in the East Irish Sea.
EnergyPathways and ABP have signed a collaboration agreement to evaluate the Port of Barrow as a location to develop the Marram Energy Storage Hub (MESH) project, which is expected to be the UK’s largest integrated energy storage project, bolstering Britain’s energy security and lowering consumer bills.
The two companies will examine the feasibility of building at ABP’s Port of Barrow a CAES storage operations base, a gas and hydrogen storage operations base, connection infrastructure for the project’s offshore storage facilities, hydrogen and graphite production facilities, and sustainable industrial processing and export facilities.
The development of these facilities is subject to a commercial agreement between the two players, and securing financing and planning approvals for the MESH energy storage development. Designated a project of “national significance” by the UK government, MESH combines compressed air electrical storage (CAES) with natural gas and hydrogen storage.
Ben Clube, CEO of EnergyPathways, commented: “We are delighted to be working with ABP, the UK’s leading and largest ports group. This relationship highlights the significant opportunities that our MESH integrated energy storage project can bring to Barrow-in-Furness and the UK’s energy and industrial sectors. MESH can play an important role in supporting Barrow’s long-term development as a key hub for energy infrastructure and its potential to play a central role in the UK’s future energy system.
“ABP’s Port of Barrow provides access to our offshore storage development areas in the East Irish Sea alongside strategically located land, port facilities and export infrastructure that could be well suited to supporting MESH’s onshore facilities and production units. This marks another important milestone for the MESH project as it progresses towards final investment decision, building momentum across key development workstreams.”
Located in the Irish Sea and connected to Barrow-in-Furness, the project will utilize large-scale subsea storage, designed to store energy in a highly cost-effective manner. The licence area has the potential to support the construction of up to 60 sub-surface salt caverns. MESH is targeted to enter operation in 2031, subject to approvals and financing.
This project will harness Britain’s wind energy by generating multi-day, dispatchable power at lower cost and emissions than gas-fired power plants. The development is anticipated to more than double the UK’s gas storage capacity, storing around six days of national supply to bolster the nation’s energy security.
The energy storage at MESH will reduce the country’s dependency on gas power generators and costly gas imports, which currently control electricity prices and are vulnerable to global gas price hikes. This development is said to align closely with the UK’s energy, industrial, and economic growth strategies, alongside its 2035 Critical Minerals strategy ambitions.
The MESH hydrogen production facility is intended to produce graphite, a critical mineral essential for use in civil nuclear, defence, and battery applications, as a by-product. The hydrogen produced will be used to decarbonize Britain’s energy system. The project also complements the UK government’s ambitions to strengthen and diversify Barrow’s economy.
The development masterplan for Barrow is being spearheaded by Team Barrow, a government initiative that involves BAE Systems, Westmorland & Furness Council, and the Department of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, as well as a range of local and national companies and organizations, including ABP. Team Barrow has publicly welcomed the MESH project.
Ralph Windeatt, Business Development Director at ABP, highlighted: “ABP has a strong track record supporting energy projects of national significance. The Port of Barrow, specifically, has played a key role in the development and operation of the offshore wind industry in the Irish Sea.
“The MESH project is an opportunity to further strengthen the port’s long-term future, and support the delivery of Barrow’s masterplan and contribute to the UK’s energy transition.”
EnergyPathways is already working on the development of MESH with a Tier-1 partner group, consisting of Siemens Energy, Wood, Costain, and Zenith Energy.
Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world!
Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!