EnergyPathways has signed a collaboration agreement with Associated British Ports to jointly evaluate ABP’s Port of Barrow as the onshore base for its Marram Energy Storage Hub (MESH) project.
MESH is set to become Britain’s largest integrated energy storage facility.
The two parties will assess the feasibility of building a sizeable footprint at the port, including a CAES storage operations base, gas and hydrogen storage operations, connection infrastructure for the offshore storage facilities, hydrogen and graphite production capacity, and supporting sustainable industrial and export facilities.
Subject to a commercial agreement, financing and planning approvals, the project is targeted to enter operation in 2031.
MESH is designated by the UK Government as “nationally significant”, combining compressed air energy storage with natural gas and hydrogen storage to soak up Britain’s currently wasted wind generation. This costs consumers billions each year.
The project would more than double UK gas storage capacity, providing around six days of national supply, and deliver multi-day dispatchable power at lower cost and emissions than gas-fired plants.
EnergyPathways is progressing MESH with a Tier-1 partner group of Siemens Energy, Wood, Costain and Zenith Energy. Today’s ABP agreement adds another meaningful piece to the jigsaw as the project moves toward Final Investment Decision in 2028.
Ben Clube, CEO of EnergyPathways, said: “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.”