EnergyPathways plc (LSE:EPP) provided an update on the development of its Marram Energy Storage Hub, an integrated offshore and onshore energy infrastructure project in the East Irish Sea that has been designated a project of national significance by the U.K. government.
The proposed development is designed to combine compressed air, natural gas and hydrogen storage with hydrogen, ammonia and graphite production.
At the centre of the project is a planned long-duration energy storage facility with capacity of 300 MW and 55 GWh. EnergyPathways plans to use salt caverns to store surplus wind-generated electricity through compressed air energy storage and release the energy when required.
The company said it expects the facility to be capable of delivering electricity at costs below gas-fired generation and competing storage technologies. It also estimates that capital expenditure per unit of storage would be below battery and pumped hydro alternatives.
EnergyPathways expects the storage facility to have access to potential revenue from wholesale electricity markets as well as balancing, capacity and ancillary services.
Gas and Hydrogen Storage Plans
The Marram hub also includes plans for strategic natural gas and hydrogen storage with capacity of approximately 1.3 billion cubic metres.
According to EnergyPathways, this would be equivalent to as much as six days of U.K. gas demand and could approximately double the country’s existing gas storage capacity. The company also intends for the infrastructure to provide a future pathway for hydrogen storage.
A further component of the development involves hydrogen-based industrial production. EnergyPathways plans to use methane pyrolysis technology to produce hydrogen, ammonia and graphite.
The company said the proposed production could provide domestically sourced graphite for industries including defence, automotive and energy-transition applications.
Jacobs Appointed to Support Consent Process
Following completion of pre-front-end engineering and design work, EnergyPathways appointed Jacobs to lead the Development Consent Order process for the Marram project and support regulatory engagement.
EnergyPathways said it is also holding discussions with banks, institutional investors and potential strategic partners as it works towards financing arrangements and capacity offtake agreements.
The project remains subject to further development, regulatory processes, financing and future investment decisions.
More About EnergyPathways plc
EnergyPathways plc is an AIM-quoted energy transition company developing infrastructure intended to support the U.K. energy system.
Its flagship Marram Energy Storage Hub is planned for the East Irish Sea and Barrow-in-Furness and incorporates long-duration energy storage, natural gas and hydrogen storage, and hydrogen, ammonia and graphite production.
The company is assembling a group of partners around the project and expects Marram, if developed as planned, to include what it describes as the U.K.’s largest long-duration energy storage facility alongside offshore gas and hydrogen storage infrastructure and an integrated industrial production complex.
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