Highview, a global leader in long duration energy storage solutions (LDES) welcomed Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to the official breaking of ground for its new facility – the world’s largest commercial-scale liquid air energy storage plant – at Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park near Carrington.

Greeting the Mayor were Highview’s CEO Richard Butland and Chairman, Colin Roy, who also welcomed Andrew Western, MP for Stretford and Urmston.

The Carrington plant will deliver 300 MWh of storage and an output of 50 MW for six hours, enough clean, renewable energy to serve 480,000 homes. The facility will connect to existing substation and transmission infrastructure in the local area and will also include a stability island, designed to stabilise the local grid, ensuring energy security against outages and blackouts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor of Greater Manchester, 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 through its construction and supply chain. It’s also significant that this is the first development on the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park, setting the tone for what we hope will become a major centre for clean energy in Greater Manchester.”

Highview’s liquid air energy storage system captures excess renewable energy when demand is low, and stores it as liquid air, for hours, days, or even weeks. When it is needed, the air is expanded to generate electricity, delivering 100% clean, dispatchable power.

Unlike other storage technologies, LAES can operate without degradation for between 40 and 50 years and is fully locatable and modular. It is ideal for firming intermittent renewables, reducing curtailment and supporting the transition from fossil fuels to wind and solar.

Highview last year raised £300 million from the National Wealth Fund, Centrica, and a syndicate of investors including Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital to build the plant at Carrington.

Richard Butland, CEO at Highview commented: “This is a hugely important moment for Highview, as we kick-start work on our first LAES facility in Carrington, and we are delighted that Mayor Andy Burnham and Andrew Western MP were with us to mark the occasion. This site is the first in our planned program of energy storage plants across the UK, and we expect the first phase to be up and running by the second half of next year. We are grateful for the support of our investors and the local council as we realise our ambitions to deliver renewable energy storage to the UK at scale."