EnergyPathways PLC - Agreement with ABP to locate MESH facilities
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
RNS Number : 0592E
EnergyPathways PLC
13 May 2026
13 May 2026
EnergyPathways plc
("EnergyPathways" or the "Company")
Agreement with ABP to locate MESH onshore facilities at Port of Barrow
EnergyPathways and ABP to evaluate Port of Barrow as a location to develop its nationally significant
MESH energy storage project
EnergyPathways (AIM:EPP), the energy transition company, has signed a collaboration agreement with
Associated British Ports ("ABP"), the UK's leading and largest ports group, to jointly evaluate ABP's Port
of Barrow, on the south-west coast of Cumbria, for the Company's onshore facilities for its large-scale
Marram Energy Storage Hub project ("the MESH Project" or "MESH").
ABP Port of Barrow
The MESH project is expected to be Britain's largest integrated energy storage project and will bolster
Britain's energy security and lower consumer bills. Designated a project of "national significance" by the
UK Government, MESH combines compressed air electrical storage ("CAES") with natural gas and
hydrogen storage. Located in the Irish Sea and connected into Barrow-in-Furness, the project utilises
large scale subsea storage, designed to store energy in a highly cost-effective manner. Its licence area
has the potential to support the construction of up to 60 sub-surface salt caverns and subject to
approvals and financing, MESH is targeted to enter operation in 2031.
MESH will harness Britain's mounting wasted wind energy, which costs consumers billions per year. It
will generate multi-day, dispatchable power at a lower cost and with lower emissions than gas-fired
power plants. It will also more than double Britain's gas storage capacity, storing around six days of
national supply to bolster the UK's energy security. Energy storage at MESH will reduce Britain's
dependency on gas power generators and costly gas imports which currently control electricity prices
and are vulnerable to global gas price hikes.
At ABP's Port of Barrow, the two companies will examine the feasibility of building:
· a CAES storage operations base;
· a gas and hydrogen storage operations base;
· connection infrastructure for the project's offshore storage facilities
· hydrogen and graphite production facilities; and
· sustainable industrial processing and export facilities.
The development of these facilities is subject to a commercial agreement between ABP and
EnergyPathways, and the securing of financing and planning approvals for the MESH energy storage
development.
MESH's development aligns closely with the UK's energy, industrial and economic growth strategies,
alongside the UK's 2035 Critical Minerals strategy ambitions. It is intended that the MESH hydrogen
production facility will produce graphite, a critical mineral essential for use in civil nuclear, defence and
battery applications, as a by-product. The hydrogen produced will be used to decarbonise Britain's
energy system.
MESH also complements the UK Government's ambitions to strengthen and diversify Barrow's
economy. The development masterplan for Barrow is being spearheaded by Team Barrow, a
Government initiative that involves BAE Systems, Westmorland & Furness Council and the Department
of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as a range of local and national companies
and organisations, including ABP. Team Barrow has publicly welcomed the MESH Project.
EnergyPathways is already working on the development of MESH with a Tier-1 partner group consisting
of Siemens Energy, Wood, Costain and Zenith Energy.
Ben Clube, CEO of EnergyPathways, said:
"We are delighted to be working with ABP, the UK's leading and largest ports group. This relationship
highlights the significant opportunities that our MESH integrated energy storage project can bring to
Barrow-in-Furness and the UK's energy and industrial sectors. MESH can play an important role in
supporting Barrow's long-term development as a key hub for energy infrastructure and its potential to
play a central role in the UK's future energy system.
"ABP's Port of Barrow provides access to our offshore storage development areas in the East Irish Sea
alongside strategically located land, port facilities and export infrastructure that could be well suited to
supporting MESH's onshore facilities and production units.
"This marks another important milestone for the MESH Project as it progresses towards Final
Investment Decision, building momentum across key development workstreams."
Ralph Windeatt, Business Development Director at ABP said:
"ABP has a strong track record supporting energy projects of national significance. The Port of Barrow,
specifically, has played a key role in the development and operation of the offshore wind industry in the
Irish Sea. The MESH Project is an opportunity to further strengthen the port's long-term future, and
support the delivery of Barrow's masterplan and contribute to the UK's energy transition."
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 (which forms
part of domestic UK law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). The Directors of the Company are
responsible for the contents of this announcement.
END
Investor Engagement with EnergyPathways
Engage with us by asking questions, watching video summaries and seeing what other shareholders
have to say. Navigate to our Interactive Investor website here: https://energypathways.uk/
Enquiries
Investor questions on this
announcement
We encourage all investors to share
questions on this announcement via our
investor hub
https://energypathways.uk/link/rkE2Ny
EnergyPathways
Ben Clube / Max Williams
Tel: +44 (0)207 466 5000, c/o Burson
Buchanan (Financial PR)
Email : info@energypathways.uk
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP
(Nominated Adviser)
Jo Turner / Louise O'Driscoll / Sandy
Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0)20 7213 0880
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
(Broker)
Richard Hail / Adam Cowl
Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470
Subscribe to our news alert service: energypathways.uk/auth/signup For further information on
EnergyPathways visit www.energypathways.uk and @energy_pathways on X.
About ABP
Associated British Ports (ABP) is the UK's leading and largest ports operator, with a network of 21 ports
around Great Britain, handling around a quarter of the nation's seaborne trade in goods.
ABP connects British businesses and manufacturers to international markets, supporting economic
growth across the UK. Together with customers, ABP's ports handle over £150 billion of UK trade each
year.
ABP is also a major and growing provider of green energy infrastructure that supports the UK's energy
transition and is an essential partner for the offshore wind industry, providing Operations and
Maintenance (O&M) for over 50% of the sector's activity.
ABP has a strong track record of commitment to investment in port infrastructure, having invested
around £750 million over the last 5 years in our ports and surrounding areas.
Details of ABP's future plan for Port of Barrow can be found here: https://www.abports.co.uk/future-ports-
barrow/
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future
events and anticipated results that are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market and business conditions, competition for
qualified staff, the regulatory process and actions, technical issues, new legislation, uncertainties
resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, uncertainties resulting from working in a new
political jurisdiction, uncertainties regarding the results of exploration, uncertainties regarding the timing
and granting of prospecting rights, uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of regulatory and
other third party consents and approvals, uncertainties regarding the Company's or any third party's
ability to execute and implement future plans, and the occurrence of unexpected events.
Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known
and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors.
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