Highview has officially broken ground on its new liquid air energy storage (LAES) facility in Carrington, Manchester, with Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham marking the start of construction.
The plant will be the world’s largest commercial-scale LAES project.
The ceremony at Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park was attended by Highview’s Chief Executive Richard Butland, Chairman Colin Roy and Andrew Western, MP for Stretford and Urmston.
Scheduled to be operational by late 2026, the facility will provide 300MWh of storage and 50MW of output for six hours, supplying clean energy for the equivalent of 480,000 homes.
The project will connect to local transmission infrastructure and include a stability island to support grid resilience and reduce the risk of outages.
Mayor Andy Burnham said: “Storing renewable power so it’s there when people need it will be essential for Greater Manchester in the years ahead. This project is an important step in that direction, and it’s already supporting jobs and skills in the area.”
Highview’s technology stores surplus renewable energy as liquid air for hours, days or weeks before expanding it to generate electricity.
The system offers 100% clean, dispatchable power and can operate for 40 to 50 years without degradation.
Highview raised £300 million last year from the National Wealth Fund, Centrica and other leading investors to build the Carrington plant.
