Highview Power, a specialist in liquid air energy storage (LAES), has announced that the UK government's new investment support scheme will expedite its plans to develop four 2.5-GWh plants by 2030.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recently unveiled a cap-and-floor investment support scheme designed to promote long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects.
Of the four planned plants, two will be located in Scotland and two in England, with the first facility set to be built in Hunterston, Scotland. The construction of the Hunterston plant will occur in two stages: the initial phase will focus on grid connection and stability services, while the second phase will involve the full build-out of the LAES facility. Highview Power has indicated that it will soon initiate the planning process for the second phase.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney met with Highview Power executives at Scotland House in London to discuss the initiative.
The announcement follows Highview Power's recent GBP 300 million (USD 391 million/EUR 359 million) capital raise for a 300-MWh energy storage and grid stability project at Carrington, Manchester, which is expected to become operational in 2026.
Highview Power stated that its five commercial-scale plants in the UK will collectively contribute over 10% of the National Electricity System Operator's (NESO) 2024 Future Energy Scenarios (FES) Holistic Transition Pathway goals for achieving up to 81 GWh of LDES by 2030. The recent funding round was led by the UK Infrastructure Bank and British energy firm Centrica.
