Comet Ridge Lands Gladstone Gas Deal
It is obviously Highview Power’s day, as this project in Queensland, Australia gets five mentions in my Google Alert for Highview Power.
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Industry Queensland.
This is the sub-heading.
Mahalo gas hub developer Comet Ridge has reached a deal with Highview Power to supply the large-scale electricity project it is planning to build at the Aldoga State Development area near Gladstone.
These four paragraphs give a summary of the project.
The volume of gas targeted is 3.6 PJ/a (10 TJ/d) for a minimum of five years.
Highview’s Central Queensland Energy Storage Project is to be constructed in two phases.
Phase 1 consists of a 400MW four-hour battery energy storage system, two 200MW open-cycle gas turbines, a 370MVA synchronous condenser, and associated substations and transmission lines.
Phase 2 will be the build-out of a 200MW 12-hour liquid air energy storage system.
It looks like Highview Power’s battery is one of their larger systems and is a 200 MW/2.4 GWh version.
On Highview Power’s Projects page, this is said under a header of Australia.
Highview is developing a series of base‑load renewable energy power stations in Australia, with planning now underway for three major programmes. In Gladstone, Central Queensland, and Townsville, North Queensland, we are progressing large scale projects combining LDES and short-term battery storage. On the Darwin–Katherine network in the Northern Territory, plans are advancing for an integrated scheme incorporating solar generation, LDES and battery. Together, these initial developments will help Australia meet its target of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.
Gladstone is named in this story and on Highview Power’s web site.
Could Highview Power be making a breakthrough in process engineering after Sumitomo’s success at the LNG Terminal at Hiroshima.
Four Of The Largest Grid Batteries From Fidra
Fidra have made a big splash as they enter the UK’s Long Duration Energy Storage market, with three grid batteries.
Bicker Fen 1 and 2
Capacity – 1.20 GW/2.40 GWh
Web site
Commission Date – BF1-2028, BF2-2029
Thorpe Marsh
Capacity – 1.45 GW/2.90 GWh
Commission Date – Q1-2027
West Burton C
Capacity – 500 MW/1 GWh
Commission Date – Q4-2027
Note.
- All are two-hour batteries.
- Each battery has some drone footage of the site.
Will Andy Burnham Take The Highview Road To Lower Energy Bills?
Has Andy Burnham Ever Said He’d Like Energy Bills To Come Down?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section of this post, and received this reply.
Yes, Andy Burnham has explicitly stated he wants to bring energy bills down, making it a central priority upon becoming UK Prime Minister in July 2026. He has pledged to give voters “breathing room” on the cost of living and is considering radical market overhauls to reduce household costs.
But has he looked at radical engineering solutions, that would also help to push energy bills down.
This morning, I wrote Molten Salt And Human Sweat: The Weird Batteries That Could Store Renewable Energy, which is based on a must-read article in today’s Guardian.
The Guardian article shows Andy Burnham with Highview Power’s engineers and managers at the ground breaking ceremony of Highview Power’s 50MW/300 MWh liquid-air grid battery at Carrington in Andy Burham’s feifdom of Greater Manchester, where he was mayor for nine years.
In Andy Burnham and Highview Power, I asked Google AI about their relationship and Andy Burnham came over as an enthusiastic supporter of Highview Power.
In UK Wind Risks ‘Exponentially Rising’ Curtailment Without Energy Storage, I discuss using Highview’s batteries to avoid shutting wind turbines down, when we have too much electricity.
I believe that if Andy Burnham, were to experdite up to 20 of Highview’s largest 300 MW/3.2 GWh batteries around the UK, this would have the right effect on energy bills.
I would hope that Andy Burnham is watching the progress of the Carrington battery closely.
Molten Salt And Human Sweat: The Weird Batteries That Could Store Renewable Energy
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Guardian.
This is the sub-heading.
From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challenge
These first three paragraphs give a taste of what is to come.
In the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.
The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest battery scheme in the world.
Meanwhile, about 7,500 miles away, at the US’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory facility in Colorado, researchers and engineers are making some of the smallest batteries the world has ever seen. A fraction of the size of the grid-scale lithium-ion batteries used to store renewable energy, they have been designed to power electronic tags that will track the 3in-long (about 7.5cm) young from salmon and eel species.
And seeing, that they used to be the Manchester Guardian and that Andy Burnham is surely the man-of-the-day for other reasons, Highview Power’s 50 MW/300 MWh at Carrington in Manchester gets a big mention under a section heading of Liquid Air, with Burnham in hi-vis jacket and hard hat.
This picture, which is courtesy of The Guardian, shows the groundbreaking ceremony of the Carrington battery.
Andy Burnham is third from the right.
The Guardian article is very much a must read, that features projects from the United Arab Emirates, Colorado, Finland, Manchester, Nevada and Japan.
Andy Burnham and Highview Power
Highview Power are building their first commercial-scale liquid-air battery at Carrington in Greater Manchester.
I typed the title of this post into Google AI, to see if anything enlightening turned up.
This is what I found.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has strongly championed the development of Highview Power’s pioneering £300m liquid air energy storage (LAES) facility in Carrington, Manchester. Burnham officially broke ground on the project, praising it as a massive boost for local green jobs and grid resilience.
The Carrington Project at a Glance
Location: Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park, Carrington, Greater Manchester
Capacity: 300MWh of storage and 50MW of output. The plant can supply clean power to roughly 480,000 homes.
Jobs: Created over 700 jobs in construction and the supply chain.
Technology: Stores excess energy from renewable sources (like wind and solar) as liquid air. It can hold energy for several weeks to release back into the grid when demand is high.
Andy Burnham’s Stance
Burnham views the Highview Power plant as a cornerstone of his plan to reindustrialize Greater Manchester and establish it as a global center of excellence for clean energy.
Hosting such advanced demonstration technology aligns perfectly with his Good Growth Fund and regional net-zero strategies.
Broader Significance
Backed by Centrica and the National Wealth Fund, the Carrington site is the first in a planned global rollout of large-scale, long-duration energy storage plants. Mayor Burnham officially broke ground on the facility, which remains on track to be fully operational in 2026.
Can A ‘Secret Sauce’ Help Store Renewable Energy?
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The US-Israel war with Iran has led to higher electricity bills and put the issue of energy security back in the spotlight.
These two paragraphs add more detail to the story.
Now a pilot project inspired by a 100-year-old idea aims to store renewable energy.
Those behind the high density hydro demonstrator scheme near Plymouth say the technology can “turn small hills into giant batteries”, as part of the transition away from fossil fuels.
This is one of those stories, that could only emerge in the UK.
If you have the time, click on the link to the BBC article and read it in full.
I have a feeling, that the world will be hearing a lot about RheEnergise.
I asked Google AI, “How Much Energy Can A RheEnergise Battery Store”, and received this reply.
A RheEnergise system acts like pumped-storage hydro, using a dense fluid instead of water to store energy.
Planned commercial facilities are designed to store 2 to 16 hours of energy capacity, offering between 10 MW and 50 MW of power generation.
The exact energy storage figures for their deployments scale depending on the site requirements.
The breakdown of how these installations store and yield energy includes:
Commercial-Scale Capacity: A standard commercial site ranging from 10 MW to 50 MW will yield between 20 MWh and 800 MWh of total energy output (based on operating at full capacity for 2 to 16 hours).
The “Secret Sauce”: The system uses a proprietary fluid called R-19, which is 2.5 times denser than water.
This density allows the system to generate 2.5× more power and energy from the same physical footprint and vertical drop compared to traditional water-based facilities.
Real-World Pilot: The company operates a 500 kW demonstrator project at Cornwood near Plymouth, UK. This smaller test-bed, if run continually, generates energy equivalent to powering about 400 homes for an entire year.
Zero Seasonal Losses: Unlike chemical batteries (like lithium-ion) that degrade and lose charge over time, pumped hydro setups suffer virtually zero energy loss while the fluid sits idle.
JERA Nex BP, EnBW Submit Morven Offshore Wind Farm Application
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A joint venture between JERA Nex BP and EnBW has submitted Section 36 consent applications for the Morven offshore wind farm to the Scottish government
These two paragraphs add a few details.
The developer secured the seabed rights for the Morven offshore wind farm as a single project in the ScotWind Leasing Round in 2022 and split it into two separate projects during the early development phase.
Located around 60 kilometres off the coast of Aberdeenshire at its closest point, the site is planned to house Morven North and Morven South, which would have a combined installed capacity of up to 3 GW and around 190 wind turbines in total.
Morven Offshore Wind Farm now has a comprehensive web site.
The web site says that the electricity will be brought ashore at Hawthorn Pit.
This Google Map shows the location of Hawthorn Pit.
Note.
- Hawthorn Pit is indicated by the red arrow.
- Sunderland is at the top of the map on the coast.
- Aura Power has already obtained planning permission for Hawthorn Pit solar farm, which will be up to 49.9 MW.
- Zenobe are developing a battery-energy-storage-system(BESS) 1.5 km to the South-East of the new Hawthorn Pit substation, which will have an output of 300 MW. Sloppily, there is no detail on capacity, but Google AI indicates, it is a 300 MW/600 MWh battery.
- Hawthorn Pit substation is also the expected to be the Southern end of Eastern Green Link 1, which will help to bring Scottish wind power to England, which will be a 2 GW undersea interconnector to Torness.
In Murphy Starts Work On £2.5bn Eastern Green Link 1, I detail the start of building of Eastern Green Link 1 and say it should be operational by 2029.
When Is The Morven Offshore Wind Farm Expected To Be Commissioned?
I asked Google AI the question above and received this answer.
The 2.9 GW Morven offshore wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned and operational between 2031 and 2035, with initial grid connections and power export potentially starting as early as 2030.
The timeline for full deployment of the Morven Offshore Wind Farm remains somewhat flexible as it depends on final planning approvals and connection offers from the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The Cables For The Morven Offshore Wind Farm And Eastern Green Link 1
This map clipped from the Morven Offshore Wind Farm web site, shows the locations of Aberdeen, Hawthorn Pit and the Morven Offshore Wind Farm.
Note.
- The location of the Morven wind array was first mentioned in June 2020, as part of ScotWind by Crown Estate Scotland.
- The development of Eastern Green Link 1 was first mentioned in May 2021, by National Grid.
- Torness is to the East of Edinburgh.
- Eastern Green Link 1 connects Torness and Hawthorn Pit.
- the Morven wind array connects to England at Hawthorn Pit.
Over the last few years National Grid and other companies have been developing a technique called offshore hybrid assets, which I describe in What Are Offshore Hybrid Assets?.
An offshore hybrid asset typically connects two countries via a large offshore wind farm, which can then send electricity to both countries.
In a traditional design, there would need to be.
- A 2 GW cable between Torness and Hawthorn Pit.
- A 2.9 GW cable between Morven and Hawthorn Pit.
In the Offshore Hybrid Asset design, there would need to be.
- A 2 GW cable between Torness and Morven
- A 2.9 GW cable between Morven and Hawthorn Pit.
I suspect cable would be saved.
This map shows the position of each ScotWind Leasing wind farm.
Note.
- The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
- Morven is ScotWind lease number 1.
- Eastern Green Link 1 is one of four interconnectors down the East Coast of the UK.
- I have added up the ScotWind lease numbers 1-6 and they total 10.5 GW.
That would be a lot of power to capture just by converting the four Eastern Green Link interconnectors into offshore hybrid assets.
How Will Aquaventus Connect To Aberdeen?
This is RWE’s description of AquaVentus, which is sub-titled Hydrogen Production In The North Sea.
Hydrogen is considered the great hope of decarbonisation in all sectors that cannot be electrified, e.g. industrial manufacturing, aviation and shipping. Massive investments in the expansion of renewable energy are needed to enable carbon-neutral hydrogen production. After all, wind, solar and hydroelectric power form the basis of climate-friendly hydrogen.
In its quest for climate-friendly hydrogen production, the AquaVentus initiative has set its sights on one renewable energy generation technology: offshore wind. The initiative aims to use electricity from offshore wind farms to operate electrolysers also installed at sea on an industrial scale. Plans envisage setting up electrolysis units in the North Sea with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts, enough to produce 1 million metric tons of green hydrogen.
RWE have also put this AquaVentus video on their web site.
Note, that in the video AquaVentus connects Germany to Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands and Aberdeen and Humberside in the UK.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section, and received this answer.
AquaVentus connects to Aberdeen through a strategic infrastructure partnership with Hydrogen Scotland. The two organizations are integrating offshore wind power, offshore electrolysis, and a shared cross-border pipeline to link Scottish renewable generation with European industrial markets.
The connection strategy relies on a multi-stage approach across the North Sea:
Offshore Production & Transmission: AquaVentus aims to produce green hydrogen directly offshore. It will be transported via a pan-European pipeline network—such as the planned 400 km AquaDuctus to link offshore hubs with both the UK and mainland Europe.
Scottish-German Export Corridor: Building on previous research like the Scot2Ger study, this pipeline corridor directly connects Scotland’s abundant offshore wind resources to European demand, establishing Aberdeen as a critical origin node.
Integrated Energy Backbone: The initiative champions hybrid connection concepts (combining both power cables and hydrogen pipelines). This allows for maximum flexibility when integrating Aberdeen’s local onshore hydrogen infrastructure with broader transnational energy grids.
I will now ask Google AI some supplementary questions about AquaVentus in UK waters.
“Will AquaVentus Produce Hydrogen In UK Waters?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, AquaVentus plans to produce green hydrogen in UK waters. The German-led consortium has partnered with Hydrogen Scotland to harness Scotland’s offshore wind potential for large-scale, cross-border hydrogen production and export.
Key Details of the UK-German Initiative
Production Scale: The initiative aims to install 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore electrolysis capacity in the North Sea by 2035, producing up to 1 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
The “Pipes and Wires” Model: Offshore wind parks will be equipped with hybrid connection concepts, providing the flexibility to either send electricity directly to the grid or convert it into hydrogen via offshore electrolysers.
Transportation: The produced hydrogen will be transported to land via a shared transnational subsea pipeline corridor, linking Scottish resources to Germany and mainland Europe.The partnership is specifically aimed at creating a North Sea hydrogen corridor to boost energy security and build the foundational European Hydrogen Backbone.
“Will AquaVentus Land Hydrogen In Scotland?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, the German-led AquaVentus initiative plans to land green hydrogen in Scotland as part of a coordinated North Sea energy corridor.
The cross-border initiative involves the following components:
The Pipeline Connection: A key part of the plan is the AquaDuctus offshore subsea pipeline, designed to collect green hydrogen produced from central North Sea wind farms and land it on the coast.
Scottish Partnership: Hydrogen Scotland and AquaVentus have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding to combine Scotland’s massive offshore wind potential with German infrastructure and electrolysis expertise.
Export Ambitions: Scotland aims to produce up to 3.3 Mt of green hydrogen per year by 2045, heavily relying on pipelines and networks to export this to mainland European hubs like Germany.
Offshore Facilities: The broader initiative plans to install 10 GW of offshore electrolysis capacity in the North Sea to produce up to 1 million tonnes of hydrogen annually.
Note that Google AI has told me that a Megatonne of hydrogen is currently worth around £2.5-5 billion.
“Will AquaVentus Connect To Any Of The ScotWind Leasing Wind Farms?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, AquaVentus plans to link Scottish offshore wind resources (including ScotWind farms) to mainland Europe. Through an agreement with Hydrogen Scotland, AquaVentus intends to utilize hybrid “pipes and wires” infrastructure to transmit power or convert it into green hydrogen for direct pipeline transport.
The partnership serves several strategic goals:
The “Pipes & Wires” Concept: Wind farms built under the ScotWind leasing round will have the flexibility to either route electricity to the UK grid or convert it into green hydrogen via offshore electrolysers.
Cross-Border Pipelines: The hydrogen generated by Scottish offshore wind is targeted to be fed into the planned AquaDuctus pipeline, which forms a transnational energy corridor connecting the UK to Germany and the rest of Europe.
Policy Integration: AquaVentus is actively advocating for legal reforms to accommodate these cross-border hybrid connections, allowing direct pipeline integration for future offshore parks.
I believe these ScotWind Leasing wind farms could be connected to AquaVentus.
- 1 – Morven – 2.9 GW – JERA Nex BP, EnBW
- 2 – Ossian – 2.6 GW – SSE Renewables
- 3 – Bellrock – 1.2 GW – Falck Renewables
- 4 – CampionWind – 2 GW – Scottish Power, Shell
- 5 – Muir Mhòr – 0.8 GW – Vattenfall
- 6 – Bowdun – – 1 GW – Thistle Wind Partners
Note.
- All companies are major energy companies.
- The wind farms are in a cluster to the South-East of Scotland.
- Wind farms 2-5 are floating, and 1 and 6 are fixed.
- There is a maximum power of 10.5 GW.
- These wind farms would not need to be shut down, when there was too much wind, if the excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen.
- The “Pipes & Wires” Concept would allow all energy generated to be transferred to shore, either as electricity or hydrogen.
Cables would need to be laid to perform the functions of the Eastern Green Links 1-4.
- Eastern Green Link 1 – Torness and Hawthorn Pit
- Eastern Green Link 2 – Peterhead and Drax
- Eastern Green Link 3 – Westfield and Lincolnshire
- Eastern Green Link 4 – Peterhead and Lincolnshire
Eastern Green Link 5 is under development between Aberdeenshire and Lincolnshire.
“Is Anderby Creek An Important Node In The Electricity Grid?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, Anderby Creek has become a highly important landfall location for the UK’s electricity grid, acting as a crucial connection point for high-capacity subsea cables bringing renewable energy from Scotland and offshore wind farms into England.
Its role in the national grid’s infrastructure centers on several major “superhighway” projects:
Eastern Green Link 5 (EGL 5): This £3bn National Grid project involves a 585km subsea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable carrying up to 2 GW of clean power (enough for two million homes) from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Anderby Creek.
Eastern Green Links 3 & 4 (EGL 3 / EGL 4): These are additional massive subsea cable projects that also plan to make landfall at Anderby Creek to transport Scottish wind energy down the UK coastline.
Offshore Wind Export Cables: Beyond long-distance transmission, the village already hosts export cables from local offshore wind developments like the Triton Knoll Wind Farm.
Because of the massive volume of power coming ashore, Anderby Creek serves as the starting point for significant onshore infrastructure. The cables transition underground at the beach and run roughly 8km inland to a proposed new converter station near Bilsby/Alford, where the power is converted and integrated into the broader Great Grid Upgrade.
“Will AquaVentus Have Access To The UK’s hydrogen Storage On Humberside?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes. Through a strategic partnership with Hydrogen Scotland, the AquaVentus initiative aims to establish cross-border offshore infrastructure that connects the central North Sea with existing and planned hydrogen networks across the UK, including those on Humberside.
The pipeline infrastructure associated with AquaVentus is envisioned to reach the UK just south of the massive hydrogen storage facilities located in East Yorkshire. While the German offshore pipeline (like AquaDuctus) is focused on landing green hydrogen into Germany, the broader AquaVentus framework is designed to integrate with British transmission networks and link to underground cavern storage in the UK.
On Humberside, major energy giants (including Centrica, Equinor, and SSE Thermal) are developing the integrated Humber Hydrogen transport and storage network. This system encompasses large-scale hydrogen storage at the Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage site and Rough Gas Storage. Because the AquaVentus UK branch connects to the Humber area’s onshore network, it positions the initiative to take advantage of these regional storage assets as a cornerstone for international trade and domestic energy resilience.
I think this is key as it gives AquaVentus access to very large hydrogen storage.
Conclusion
It almost looks to me, that National Grid and AquaVentus are combining their pipes and wires between the Southern North Sea and Aberdeen.
- Hydrogen offtake for Germany will be at Wilhelmshaven.
- Hydrogen offtake for England will be at Humberside.
- Hydrogen offtake for Scotland will be at Aberdeen.
- Electricity offtake for Germany will be at Wilhelmshaven.
- Electricity offtake for England will be at Anderby Creek.
- Electricity offtake for England will be at Hawthorn Pit.
- Electricity offtake for Scotland will be at Torness.
- Electricity offtake for Scotland will be at Aberdeen.
Note.
- There will probably be other connections to onshore locations and offshore wind farms.
- Hydrogen imports will be possible from Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands direct into AquaVentus.
The Future Of Drax Power Station
This first paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Drax power station gives a factual description of the power station.
Drax power station is a large biomass power station in Drax, North Yorkshire, England. It has a 2.6 GW capacity for biomass and had a 1.29 GW capacity for coal that was retired in 2021. Its name comes from the nearby village of Drax. It is situated on the River Ouse between Selby and Goole. Its generating capacity of 3,906 megawatts (MW), which includes the shut down coal units, is the highest of any power station in the United Kingdom, providing about 6% of the United Kingdom’s electricity supply.
This second extract from Wikipedia gives details of its current biomass contract and subsidy.
Drax’s subsidy scheme was scheduled to end in 2027, with Drax arguing for an extension to 2030. In February 2025, the UK government extended its operation from 2027 to 2031, but at a reduced 27% maximum load factor using 100% sustainable wood, so it would run “less than half as often as it currently does”, generally only at times of high electricity demand. Drax was given a contract for difference at £113/MWh in 2012 pounds, CPI inflation linked so about £155/MWh in 2025.
Note.
- Rishi Sunak’s Government extended the contract.
- It will now run on 100% sustainable wood, which includes sources like sawmill residues, forest thinnings and certain agricultural products.
- It has a similar type of contract to wind farms and energy storage.
I asked Google AI,”Does Drax Power Station Provide Grid Stability?, and received this answer.
Yes, Drax Power Station—along with its affiliated hydro assets—provides critical grid stability to the UK. As the UK’s power grid shifts toward intermittent renewables like wind and solar, Drax’s dispatchable generation and specialized system support services help maintain a secure electricity network.
The key stability services provided by the Drax portfolio include:
Inertia: Drax’s large spinning turbines and pumped hydro facilities provide vital inertia to the grid. This acts like a shock absorber, helping to control changes in frequency (maintaining 50Hz) and preventing power cuts.
Reactive Power: The facilities help manage voltage support and move power efficiently across different parts of the network.
Dispatchable Power: Unlike weather-dependent generation, Drax’s biomass and hydro plants can be ramped up or down on demand, providing firm capacity and flexible response to real-time grid needs.
Pumped Storage Support: Through its subsidiary Cruachan Power Station in Scotland, Drax operates a pumped hydro storage plant that actively balances supply and demand and holds specialized stability contracts with the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO).
So if you love or loathe the power station, it does a lot more than burn biomass to generate electricity.
Drax Power Station And Eastern Green Link Two
The Eastern Green Link Two web site is here.
This is the sub-heading
Eastern Green Link 2 (known as EGL2) is one of the most significant strategic energy infrastructure developments the UK has seen in recent years, connecting the north of Scotland to Yorkshire via the sea.
These two initial paragraphs gives more details.
EGL2 is a 505km electricity superhighway which will enable the transfer of power from Scotland to England (and vice versa) via a subsea cable. This two-gigawatt high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable is connecting Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire and once operational, will carry enough electricity to power two million homes.
EGL2 will scale up the UK’s capacity to transport home-produced clean energy, predominantly from offshore wind, from where it is generated to where there is demand. By doing so it will increase the security, resilience, and stability of the UK’s transmission network.
EGL2 is the second of a planned seven interconnectors between Scotland and the South.
The first was the Western HVDC Link between Hunterston in Scotland and Flintshire Bridge in Wales, which became operational in 2013.
EGL2 will go between Peterhead in Scotland and Drax power station.
So electricity from Scotland will be able to replace up to two GW of the biomass, that Drax power station currently uses as fuel.
Drax And Solar Power
This Google Map shows Drax power station.
If Drax wanted to add solar power to the site, I’m sure it would be possible.
- There is plenty of space.
- There is a substantial connection to the electricity grid.
After the purchase of Bluefield Solar Income Fund, Drax probably are well-placed to develop as much solar-power as they need.
Can East Midlands Railway Reach Nottingham Without More Electrification?
I went to Nottingham for the day yesterday.
- My Super Off-Peak Return ticket cost me £55.30 with a Senior Railcard.
- The Class 810 train is without doubt the best Hitachi Intercity Express Train of a good bunch.
- St. Pancras and Nottingham is 126.4 miles.
- There is no electrification between South Wigston Junction and Nottingham, which is 31.1 miles, although the change seems to be said to take place at Kilby Bridge junction.
- It would appear that, when the Class 810 trains are fitted with batteries, they will need a range of at least 62.2 miles, to do a return trip to Nottingham.
- In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I state that the maximum range of a three-battery five-car train is 117 miles. This figure has been seen by Hitachi and they didn’t say it was too high.
- I look forward to doing the same trip in a few months, using batteries to the North of the section between Kilby Bridge and South Wigston junctions.
It could be the first battery-electric 125 mph express train.
Now that is what I call affordable electrification.
I have some further thoughts.
Kilby Bridge And Wigston Junctions
This Google Map shows the Midland Main Line between Kilby Bridge and Wigston junctions.
Note.
- Kilby Bridge junction is marked by the red arrow in the South-East corner.
- The Midland Main Line runs through Kilby Bridge junction.
- South-East it goes to London.
- North-West is leads to the large triangular Wigston junction, with South Wigston station at its Western point.
- The Northern point of Wigston junction leads to Leicester.
- There are three tracks between Wigston and Kilby Bridge junctions.
- All tracks to the South of South Wigston junction are electrified.
- The distance between Wigston and Kilby Bridge junctions is two miles.
- The maximum speed between Wigston and Kilby Bridge junctions appears to be at least 100 mph.
It looks to me, that this section of track has been designed, so that trains can reliably raise and lower pantographs at the highest speed possible.
The Electrification Problem At Leicester
Some years ago I came back to London from Leicester with a group of drivers. At one point, the conversation turned to electrification and they said that they had met a Network Rail engineer, who had told them, that the bridge over Leicester station was rather low for electrification and the track couldn’t be lowered because Leicester’s main sewer was underneath the railway.
In Leicester Station – 4th Jan 2022, I show a selection of pictures of Leicester station’s Grade II Listed frontage.
I doubt it would be possible to seriously alter Leicester station to electrify it, as the Heritage Taliban would have a field day.
But if I’m right that all services will be run North of Wigston on batteries, there will be no need to electrify through Leicester station.
Not only would using battery-electric trains probably be more affordable than electrification, but also because of the Leicester electrification problem, it would be less inconvenient for passengers.
Changing From Electric Going North
This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification between Wigston Junction and Leicester station.
Note.
- Leicester station is marked by the blue arrow.
- The triangular Wigston junction is clearly visible.
- Kilby Bridge junction is South-East of Wigston junction.
- Leicester station and South Wigston junction is 3.6 miles and the tracks are shown as dashed black and red, which means future electrification.
I wonder, if in the future, if the battery-electric don’t have enough range, this is a simple section of electrification, that could be installed. Every extra mile of electrification between Leicester station and South Wigston junction would mean two miles could be chopped from the distance the trains had to travel on batteries.
But in the interim, going North, the driver would just make sure there was enough electricity in the batteries and momentum in the train, when passing South Wigston.
As trains arriving at South Wigston junction will typically have been running for over an hour, they should have full batteries to start theur explore of the North.
Changing To Electric Going South
The trains from the North, must have enough juice in the battery to reach South Wigston, so they can connect to the electrification for the run to London.
Could A Four-Battery Class 810 Train Reach Sheffield?
Consider.
- St. Pancras and Sheffield is 164.7 miles.
- There is no electrification between South Wigston Junction and Sheffield, which is 89.4 miles, although the change seems to be said to take place at Kilby Bridge junction.
- It would appear that, when the Class 810 trains are fitted with batteries, they will need a range of at least 178.8 miles to do a return trip to Sheffield.
- If a three-battery five-car Class 810 train has a battery range of 117 miles, on a pro-rata basis a four-battery five-car will only have a range of 156 miles.
That would be a big ask.
Could A Three-Battery Class 810 Train Reach Sheffield?
What would happen if one diesel engine was still installed?
These are my thoughts.
- As a Graduate Control Engineer, I wouldn’t be surprised that Hitachi have a strategy to do this with a tri-mode version of the Class 810 train.
- Hitachi have already announced the Class 820 train for Grand Central Trains and this is a tri-mode version of their InterCity Express, which is described in this Wikipedia entry.
- As Grand Central have said that the Class 820 trains, will be replacing the Class 180 trains, that run to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, a tri-mode Class 810 would surely be able to run to Sheffield.
Could East Midlands Parkway Station Be Used For Opportunity Charging?
This Google Map shows East Midlands Parkway station with the massive derelict Radcliffe-on-Soar coal-powered power station alongside.
Note.
- The Midland Main Line running North-South across the map.
- East Midlands Parkway station on its Western side.
- The derelict Radcliffe-on-Soar coal-powered power station on its Eastern side.
A vast site like this must have uses.
I asked Google AI,”What Are The Plans For Radcliffe-on-Soar Power Station?” and received this reply.
The former Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site is undergoing a multi-year decommissioning and demolition process, lasting until at least 2030 or 2031, to be transformed into a zero-carbon technology, energy, and advanced manufacturing hub.
Key details of the redevelopment include:
Site Vision: The 273-acre brownfield site has been earmarked to become a major business hub focused on advanced manufacturing (e.g., electric car batteries), low-carbon energy production, energy storage, and AI-driven data centres.
Economic Status: The site is a core component of the East Midlands Freeport, which offers significant financial incentives to attract business investment and create an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 jobs.
Demolition Timeline: The first demolition works are expected to begin in 2026, with the iconic cooling towers and main chimneys scheduled for controlled demolition between 2029 and 2030.
Planning Framework: A Local Development Order (LDO) granted by Rushcliffe Borough Council is in place to fast-track the planning process for these modern, green-focused industrial uses.
As the site will need to be supplied with a reliable energy supply for some of the proposed uses, I suspect power could be supplied to electrify the lines through East Midlands Parkway station, so that trains going to the North could take the opportunity to have a Formula One-style “Splash-and-Dash!”
Would Opportunity Charging At East Midlands Parkway Station Allow Extra Destinations?
Holders of the East Midlands Franchise have in the past, served other destinations in the past, either with regular services or engineering or seasonal diversions.
Possible destinations could be.
Cleethorpes
Distance to South Wigston – 112.4 miles
Doncaster
Distance to South Wigston – 108.1 miles – But could top up at Doncaster.
Rotherham Central
Distance to South Wigston – 102.2 miles
Scunthorpe
Distance to South Wigston – 112.4 miles
The Anonymous Widower 