Highview has raised £130 million to start construction of a “stability island” at its planned more than 3 gigawatt-hour hybrid long-duration energy storage facility in Hunterston, North Ayrshire, marking a major step in the company’s UK rollout.
The latest funding round — backed by the Scottish National Investment Bank, Centrica, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital — brings total investment in Highview’s long-duration energy storage programme to more than £500 million.
Located at the Peel Ports site, the Hunterston phase one facility will deliver grid inertia, short-circuit and voltage support services independently of its main storage system. The project aims to strengthen grid stability in Scotland and help reduce wind energy curtailment.
“This capital raise is an important milestone for Highview, enabling us to build out the first phase of our long duration energy facility at Hunterston,” said Richard Butland, chief executive of Highview. “By delivering much-needed grid services in this location, our stability island asset will prevent costly curtailment and maximise the renewable energy that we generate in the UK.”
Butland added that the project “supports future Highview projects, as well as the UK’s wider green economy, driving skills development, job creation, and economic growth across the country.”
The Hunterston stability island marks the launch of Highview’s Millennium Series — a programme of large-scale hybrid storage facilities across the UK. The next project in the series, a 300-megawatt-hour liquid air energy storage plant in Carrington, Manchester, is already under construction.
According to Highview, the Hunterston development is expected to support about 1,000 onsite jobs during construction and 650 roles in the wider supply chain. The stability island is scheduled to be operational by January 2028, with the full 3GWh facility expected by 2030.
Mark Munro, chief investment officer at the Scottish National Investment Bank, said the investment aligns with Scotland’s renewable energy ambitions. “As Scotland scales its renewable energy production, it’s critical that grid resilience is fortified so that more of it can be used,” Munro said. “Working in partnership with Highview, our investment in the development of this exciting project will deliver vital infrastructure to help ensure a more stable, clean energy future.”
Centrica group chief executive Chris O’Shea said energy storage is key to supporting the UK’s shift to renewables. “Low carbon storage is an essential part of the solution for how we manage the energy system of the future,” O’Shea said. “Highview’s LDES system is the kind of innovative facility that is needed as the UK transitions to a more intermittent energy mix from renewables.”
Highview said the project represents a critical step toward decarbonising the UK’s energy system by providing long-duration storage capacity and strengthening the electricity grid’s resilience.
