EnergyPathways CEO Ben Clube joined Steve Darling from Proactive to announce two significant developments for the company’s flagship Marram Energy Storage Hub (MESH) project, including a strategic collaboration agreement with Associated British Ports (ABP) and confirmation that its wholly owned subsidiary, EnergyPathways Irish Sea Limited, is set to be awarded a Gas Storage Licence (GSL) by the North Sea Transition Authority.
Clube described the announcements as major steps forward in advancing what is expected to become Britain’s largest integrated energy storage project. Designated a project of “national significance” by the UK Government, MESH is designed to strengthen the country’s energy security, support the transition to cleaner energy sources, and help reduce long-term energy costs for consumers and industry.
The collaboration agreement with ABP, the UK’s largest ports group, will see the two companies jointly evaluate the Port of Barrow in Cumbria as a potential location for critical onshore infrastructure supporting the MESH development. Located in the Irish Sea and connected to Barrow-in-Furness, the project combines compressed air energy storage (CAES) with large-scale natural gas and hydrogen storage, utilizing offshore salt cavern infrastructure to create a highly scalable and cost-effective energy storage solution.
Under the agreement, EnergyPathways and ABP will assess the feasibility of developing a range of facilities at the Port of Barrow, including a CAES operations base, natural gas and hydrogen storage operations centres, and key connection infrastructure linking offshore storage assets to onshore energy networks. These facilities are expected to play a central role in supporting future project operations and ensuring efficient integration with the UK’s energy system.
Alongside the ABP partnership, EnergyPathways announced that EnergyPathways Irish Sea Limited is expected to receive a Gas Storage Licence from the North Sea Transition Authority. The licence covers a substantial offshore area capable of supporting the development of up to 60 large-scale salt storage caverns, providing the potential for multi-terawatt-hour energy storage capacity.
Management believes the licence represents a critical regulatory milestone for MESH, reinforcing the project's strategic importance within the UK's future energy infrastructure. The large-scale storage capacity could support not only natural gas storage but also future hydrogen storage and compressed air energy storage applications, helping address intermittency challenges associated with renewable energy generation while improving long-term energy resilience.
Subject to the necessary approvals and financing, EnergyPathways is targeting MESH to enter operation in 2031. The company believes the project has the potential to become one of Europe's most important integrated energy storage developments, providing critical infrastructure to support decarbonization, energy security, and industrial growth for decades to come.
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