Four 2.5 GWh long-duration energy storage systems announced for the UK by 2030

Highview Power has further announced its plans to develop four 2.5 GWh power plants in the UK by 2030, adding 10 GWh of storage to the grid, in Scotland and in England. The long-duration energy storage (LDES) type is a commercial-scale liquid air energy storage or LAES.

This development follows the launch just days earlier of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) investment support scheme, which uses a “cap and floor” mechanism. This support scheme is crucial for large-scale LDES projects to be commercially viable at the moment.

The scheme sets a minimum and maximum revenue level for investors. It guarantees revenues above a set floor and limits them to a set ceiling. This provides revenue certainty for investors and price protection for consumers.

At the time, the UK’s energy minister, Michael Shanks, said, “We’re reversing a legacy that has seen no new LDES built for 40 years – and taking steps to unleash private investment in both established and new technologies.”

Details, funding

Highview’s project plans are for two plants in Scotland and two in England, with the first being in Hunterston, Scotland. Two plants alone will provide more storage than all existing UK battery storage.

This announcement follows Highview Power’s £300 million capital raise for a 300 MWh facility in Carrington, Manchester, set to operate in 2026. The 2.5GW facility represents an 8-fold increase in storage compared to the Carrington plant.

The UK Infrastructure Bank and Centrica led Highview Power’s June funding round, which included investors Sumitomo, Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI, and Mosaic Capital.

Technology

In previous coverage by ESS News of Highview Power’s first 300 MWh facility, the technology type was discussed in some detail.

In short, during times of high generation, the scheme uses excess energy to power an industrial liquefier that produces liquid air, which can then be stored in an insulated tank.

During periods of high demand, stored air is pumped at high pressure, reheated, and expanded, resulting in high-pressure gaseous air that can be directed through a turbine to produce electricity.

Highview first operated a grid-connected 2.5 MWh pilot plant near London between 2011 and 2014. A  larger-scale 5 MW/15 MWh plant has been operational since 2018 in Bury, near Manchester. At the time, the demonstrator site was called a world first.

Political support

First minister for Scotland, John Swinney MSP, welcomed Highview Power Executives to Scotland House in London as part of the announcement for the first plant to be built in Hunterston, in the west of the country, and where a decommissioned nuclear power station lies.

“The creation of the largest liquid air energy facility in the world, in Ayrshire, demonstrates just how valuable Scotland is in delivering a low carbon future as well as supporting the global transition to net zero,” Swinney said.