Purchase of land provides key element of hydrogen and gas pipeline infrastructure corridor for MESH
EnergyPathways, the UK energy transition company, announces that it has signed Heads of Terms ('HoT') to purchase land at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, for its nationally significant MESH project. Critically the land acquisition will enable the MESH project to be tied back to existing pipeline infrastructure and for the Company to move forward with its plans for developing hydrogen and natural gas transportation infrastructure. MESH will encompass the UK's largest integrated energy storage facility that will combine strategic gas and hydrogen storage alongside long-duration electricity storage (LDES).
The commercial terms of the purchase are confidential. The parties are now progressing towards binding terms and subject to final due diligence and customary closing conditions, completion is expected within approximately one month.
Ownership of the land enables a pipeline corridor for transporting hydrogen and natural gas to Energypathways' integrated long duration energy storage facility located offshore in the Irish Sea. In particular, it will facilitate fast-tracking of the development of the Company's hydrogen industries pillar, with first revenues from hydrogen and graphite production plant possible as soon as 2029-2030.
In parallel, EnergyPathways has progressed plans with National Gas Transmission, the owner and operator of the National Transmission System (NTS), for a gas grid connection at Barrow in Furness. The Company is also actively advancing plans with an existing pipeline owner to secure the re-use of strategically important pipeline infrastructure.
Policy Momentum Building
On 21 October the UK government announced a series of initiatives that strengthen the policy pathway for the development of MESH. In particular, the approval of the Jackdaw gas field, the new £2 billion Energy Wealth Fund and Transitional Energy Certificates (TECs) are significant signals for the UK's energy future and MESH.
The Government's announcement on these initiatives, as well as its previous interim report on the "Gas System in Transition: Security of Supply" consultation, reinforces the importance of a secure and reliable supply of gas. The case for investment in renewable and low-carbon energy infrastructure is building.
Following the Government's November 2025 announcement of the North Sea Future Plan it has asked the regulator to urgently consider applications for awards of licences to support an orderly, managed and prosperous transition.
Storage will be essential to strengthening the UK's future energy independence and the policy momentum for more gas and electricity storage has never been stronger.
Commenting on the update, Ben Clube, CEO of EnergyPathways, said:
'Securing land in Barrow is a major milestone for EnergyPathways as we invest in assets to move our MESH project towards development. The land complements our plans with ABP at Barrow and opens up a route for MESH's hydrogen and gas pipeline transportation corridor that will support its compressed air electrical storage, gas and hydrogen storage, low carbon flexible power generation and hydrogen production.
'Critically the land's strategic location enables MESH to be tied back to existing pipeline infrastructure and provides us with optionality regarding hydrogen and gas transportation infrastructure. This purchase would provide us with the foundation to advance the other critical milestones on the path to a Final Investment Decision for MESH, while accelerating our hydrogen and graphite business on a standalone basis, with a visible pathway to first revenue generation.
'In addition, there is clear policy momentum on investment in low-carbon energy infrastructure that we believe supports the development of MESH. Our integrated project delivers on a multitude of themes that sit at the very heart of the Government's emerging energy policy.
'We look forward to playing our part in delivering a cleaner energy system while lowering energy costs and strengthening our energy security.'
About MESH: https://energypathways.uk/mesh
Source: EnergyPathways
