CONSTRUCTION START FOR FIRST ENERGY PROJECT AT CARLTON POWER’s TRAFFORD LOW CARBON ENERGY PARK IN GREATER MANCHESTER
Highview Power to build the world’s first commercial-scale Liquid Air Energy Storage Plant
Carlton Power, the UK energy infrastructure development company, is pleased to announce that Highview Power’s £300m liquid air energy storage (LAES) project will be the first energy scheme to be built on its Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park, at Carrington, eight miles south of Manchester. The c12 hectare Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park is wholly owned by Carlton Power.
Highview Power announced on June 13th that it had secured a £300m investment to build its first commercial-scale LAES plant: from the UK Infrastructure Bank, Centrica and a syndicate of financial investors. Construction of the Highview project is set to start immediately, and it should enter operation in early 2026. Once complete, it will have a storage capacity of 300 MWh and an output power of 50 MWs per hour for six hours.
It will be co-located within the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park alongside Carlton Power’s proposed Green Hydrogen project and Carlton Power’s battery energy storage scheme (BESS) scheme - a 2GW (4160MWh) project that secured planning consent in July 2023 and is targeted to enter commercial operation in 2026. It is one of the world’s largest BESSs to be developed.
The first phase of the Trafford Green Hydrogen project – a c£30m 15MW scheme - was consented in 2021 and was awarded a financial contract from the UK Department of Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) in December 2023, one of the very first schemes in the UK to do so. Subject to a Financial Investment Decision within the next quarter, Carlton is aiming for the scheme to enter commercial operation within two years.
Each of the three projects to be built on the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park - the BESS, the green hydrogen project and the Highview Power scheme - will strengthen the security and resilience of the energy system in the North West of England, and support the energy transition – in particular within industry - and the growth of renewable power generation in the region.
Keith Clarke, the founder and Chief Executive of Carlton Power said: “I am delighted that Highview Power is moving forward with their exciting and pioneering scheme at Trafford. With the Highview scheme alongside our BESS and green hydrogen schemes, our Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park will be a beacon for the energy transition and inward investment within Greater Manchester and the North West.”
Each of the projects at the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park has been supported by Trafford Council, the local planning authority, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). For its green hydrogen scheme, Carlton Power established a private/public sector partnership to bring it forward and to maximise the benefits to the area, consisting of the GMCA, Trafford Council, Cadent, Manchester Metropolitan University and Electricity North West.
Carlton Power originated and developed the 840MW Carrington Power combined-cycle gas fired station which adjoin the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park. In 2012, ESB took 100% ownership of Carrington.