AIM-listed EnergyPathways, the energy transition company, has given notice to and received consent from the North Sea Transition Authority ('NSTA') to apply for new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences in the East Irish Sea in support of its flagship MESH project.
The Company expects to submit one or more new Gas Storage applications later this month to support its expansion plans for the MESH project - a large-scale long duration energy storage ("LDES") and decarbonisation project. The Company's nominated area for these new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences covers an area of salt cavern storage potential around four times greater than it had previously applied for.
This strategic step follows the direction issued on 26 September 2025 by the Rt Hon, Ed Miliband, the UK's Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, confirming that that key elements of the Company's integrated MESH development should be treated as a development of national significance under the 2008 Planning Act, underscoring its potential critical role in the country's long-term energy security and net zero strategy and the supply of more affordable energy to British consumers.
The Company's applications, if successful, will provide opportunity for expanded salt cavern energy storage capacity and the significant scalable expansion of the MESH project as a major integrated LDES and low-carbon flexible power system, further underpinning EnergyPathways' vision to grow the Project into one of the UK's largest integrated energy storage and decarbonisation hubs.
Ben Clube, Chief Executive Officer of EnergyPathways, commented:
'We are delighted to advance our plans to apply for new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences from the NSTA.
'This follows the Secretary of State's formal confirmation that our MESH project is a project of national significance - a powerful signal that reinforces our confidence in the UK investment environment for energy transition projects such as MESH. It further highlights MESH's potential to supply more affordable energy to Britain's consumers and make a material contribution to the nation's Clean Power 2030, energy security, and net zero ambitions.
'By developing MESH for large scale LDES, low-carbon flexible power and new hydrogen production industries, MESH is firmly aligned with the government's energy priorities. We are now accelerating project delivery alongside our Tier 1 partners, including Siemens Energy, Hazer Group in conjunction with KBR Inc., Wood plc, Costain plc, and Zenith Energy. In parallel we will progress our applications for the consents and approvals required to bring this landmark project into operation.
'If the Company is successful with these new hydrogen and natural gas storage licence applications, EnergyPathways will secure an area of salt cavern storage potential around four times greater than that it had previously sought. MESH would represent a scalable business model and growth platform for EnergyPathways that will have potential to become a key component in the decarbonised energy future of the UK.'
About MESH
MESH will be a new, large scale, energy storage and decarbonisation facility that is expected to provide a secure and dependable supply of affordable low-carbon energy for the UK market for over 25 years.
The MESH integrated energy system solution comprises; large-scale Long Duration Energy Storage ("LDES"), flexible low-carbon power capacity and low-carbon hydrogen and graphite production with the potential to branch into low-carbon ammonia production. MESH will connect its LDES integrated storage system using existing infrastructure to the UK grid and nearby offshore wind capacity to help harness value from some of the billions of pounds of the UK's wasted wind power.
The MESH system is designed to capture and store curtailed offshore wind power in offshore salt caverns as compressed air. The MESH energy storage system combines associated large-scale hydrogen, thermal and natural gas storage capacity in salt caverns, as well as gas storage in the Marram gas field clastic reservoirs. During periods of low renewable energy availability, the LDES stored energy resources will be utilised to generate low-carbon flexible power for the UK's grid via compressed air expansion, thermal energy and hydrogen-compatible gas turbine systems to generate electricity. This integrated system will provide affordable low-carbon dispatchable electricity to the UK grid, enhancing its energy security and flexibility.
The MESH facility will also produce affordable low-carbon hydrogen using a methane pyrolysis technology to which EnergyPathways has exclusive rights of use within the UK. The hydrogen can be used to further decarbonise the MESH flexible power generation system using its hydrogen compatible gas turbine system. The hydrogen produced can also be stored in MESH hydrogen storage or supply hydrogen into the UK's emerging Project Union hydrogen network, further contributing to emissions reduction across the broader UK energy system. MESH hydrogen also has potential to be used to produce low-carbon ammonia at bolt-on facilities. The by-product of the MESH hydrogen production facility will be a high-grade form of synthetic graphite, a critical mineral for energy transition.
The MESH project is targeted to be operational by 2030, subject to government approvals and financing, in order to contribute to the Government's 2030 Clean Power ambitions. EnergyPathways aims to play its role in supporting the Government in accelerating the UK's energy transition.
Source: EnergyPathways
