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.
The 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.
The March Of The Batteries
One of my Google alerts picked up this story from the Solar Power Portal, which is entitled Gresham House To Acquire 480MW BESS, Completes Financing On 397MW Portfolio.
This is the sub-heading.
Gresham House Energy Storage Fund signed a Sale and Purchase agreement (SPA) for the conditional acquisition of a 480MW BESS project, while also completing funding on a 397MW portfolio that will begin construction.
I asked Google AI, “How Big Is Gresham Houuse’s Portfolio Of Batteries?” an received this answer.
Gresham House Energy Storage Fund (GRID) operates a portfolio exceeding 1GW of utility-scale battery capacity in the UK, with an active pipeline of future and recently financed projects.
Their operational capacity features:
Operational Capacity: Exceeds 1GW (approx. 1,072MW/1,701MWh) across dozens of sites.
Market Share: Owns roughly 17% to 20% of all utility-scale batteries in Great Britain.
Haven’t they done well!
When Will Highview Power Complete The Carrington Battery?
Highview Power is building a 50 MW/300 MWh liquid air battery at Carrington, near Manchester.
I asked Google AI,the title of this section and received this reply.
Highview Power’s Carrington liquid air energy storage facility in Greater Manchester is scheduled to be operational by late 2026.
The grid stabilization phase is set to begin early in the year, with full long-duration operations following shortly after.The £300 million project at the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park is a pioneering commercial-scale “cryobattery” that liquefies and stores air to capture excess renewable energy.
Key details of the completed facility:
Capacity: 300 MWh of storage (delivering 50 MW for six hours)
Reach: Capable of supplying electricity to approximately 480,000 homes
Technology: Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES)
When Will Highview Power Complete The Livingstone Battery?
Highview Power is building a300 MW/3.2 GWh liquid air battery at Livingstone near Glasgow.
I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.
Highview Power is not currently building a battery in Livingstone. They are developing a major \(2.5 \text{ GWh}\) liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant in Hunterston, Scotland, which is scheduled to come online by 2030.
According to the Highview Power web site, a 300 MW/3.2 GWh “cryobattery” is being built at the site.
How Much Offshore Wind Power Will Be Installed This Year?
In UK Offshore Wind In 2030 – Calculated May 2026, I said that 2635 MW would be commissioned this year.
Conclusion
We’re running hard, but will we keep ahead of the tsunami of offshore wind and solar panels we are installing.
In UK Offshore Wind In 2030 – Calculated May 2026, my latest calculations show that by 2036, we will have installed 61,337 MW of offshore wind alone.
How Many Of Their 300 MW/3.2 GWh Liquid Air Batteries Do Highview Power Think They Can Install?
I asked Google AI, the title of this section and received this reply.
Highview Power plans to install several of their 300 MW/3.2 GWh “Millennium Series” cryogenic plants. They are specifically developing two initial flagship sites in the UK, with the intention to scale up rapidly over the next decade to capture a significant share of national long-duration energy storage targets.
Highview Power is executing a multi-billion-pound programme to build out these multi-technology storage facilities, which combine liquid air energy storage and lithium-ion batteries.
The two primary 3.2 GWh projects advancing through the UK regulatory system include:
Hunterston, North Ayrshire (Scotland): Slated as the first of the Millennium Series, designed to provide up to 3.2 GWh of capacity (powering around 650,000 homes).It is advancing through the regulatory assessment and construction phases.
Killingholme, Lincolnshire (England): A second 3.2 GWh facility.
Both the Hunterston and Killingholme sites were deemed eligible for support under the UK government’s “cap and floor” super-battery scheme.
Two 300 MW/3.2 GWh “Millennium Series” cryogenic plants will do very nicely!
Engineering is the science of the possible, whereas politics is dreams of the impossible.
Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm
This is a wind farm off the Isle of Man, that I missed as it is not on Wikipedia’s List of Offshore Wind Farms In The United Kingdom.
But it does have a web site, which has this handy map.
Note.
- The wind farm will have a capacity of 1.4 GW.
- Ørsted is building the web farm.
- It has planning permission.
- The operations base for the proposed Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm will be located at Douglas Harbour on the Isle of Man.
- The Port is Owned By The Isle Of Man Government.
- Anticipated operational start date is the mid 2030s. I’ll assume 2035.
- According to the web site, connection will be to Douglas on the Isle of Man and Penwortham, Lancashire in the UK.
- Penwortham is part of Preston.
- Penwortham substation already has a 50 MW/50 MWh BESS and may get a bigger one.
- Current fossil-fuel power stations on the Isle of Man, include a number of diesel power stations and a 64 MW CCGT. They also have a 23 MW steam generator.
It looks like Mooir Vannin is large enough to give the island a carbon-free energy supply, backed up, by the UK National Grid at Penwortham.
I asked Google AI, “If The Isle of Man Was Going Into The Data Centre Business”, and received this reply.
The Isle of Man is actively positioning itself as a premier hub for data centres, tech firms, and AI companies. The government is utilizing its robust infrastructure, strong regulatory environment, and competitive tax policies to attract high-value data businesses to the island.
It also looks like they have a water system, that has a hydro-electric power-station.
Ørsted Is Danish
Ørsted is Danish and all of those countries to the North East of the UK have lots of islands.
So I asked Google AI, this question.”Does Denmark Have Any Islands With Power Stations?”, and received this comprehensive answer.
Yes, Denmark has several islands with power stations, ranging from natural islands utilizing large wind and biomass facilities to massive, pioneering “Energy Islands” built specifically as offshore power hubs.
Key Examples Include:
Bornholm (Baltic Sea): Designated as a major green “Energy Island” hub. It functions as a massive collection and distribution point for surrounding offshore wind farms, routing renewable energy to both the Danish grid and neighboring countries like Germany.
SamsØ (Kattegat strait): Known globally as a renewable energy island.
It is entirely powered by local onshore and offshore wind turbines and uses a mix of solar and battery storage systems to manage its energy needs, including marina charging.
North Sea Energy Island (VindØ): This is a colossal artificial island project (located roughly 80–100 km off the coast of Jutland) designed to act as an offshore power plant.
It acts as a hub to harvest and convert wind energy from hundreds of surrounding turbines.
Are Ørsted and Highview Power Still Talking?
In Highview Power, Ørsted Find Value In Integrating Offshore Wind With Liquid Air Energy Storage, it appeared that they still were.
As it appears that Highview Power’s Liquid Air Energy Storage can be sized to the application, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of their batteries on an island powered by Danish wind turbines.
In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?, I describe how a Highview Power application, that uses cold, solar panels and a small Highview Power battery to increase the efficiency of a CNG Terminal.
How Many Of The UK’s Power Stations Are On Islands?
I asked Google AI this question and I received this answer.
There are three major, conventional thermal power stations on the UK’s offshore islands (two in Scotland and one in the Channel Islands), alongside several small-scale community-owned renewable plants that operate entirely off-grid.
The main island-based power stations include:
Lerwick Power Station (Shetland): A 66-73 MW diesel-fired plant commissioned in 1953. It provides a baseline of electricity for the Shetland mainland.
Sullom Voe Terminal Power Station (Shetland): An independent gas-fired station (roughly 92 MW capacity).
Its primary purpose is to serve the Sullom Voe gas terminal, but it also supplies the Shetland grid.
Queen’s Road Power Station (Jersey): A multi-engine facility in the Channel Islands that uses a mix of gas turbines and diesel generators to maintain island capacity.
(Note: Major UK islands, like the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Isle of Skye, are physically connected to the mainland electricity grid via subsea cables, so they do not house their own large-scale, standalone power stations).
Beyond these conventional thermal stations, several smaller Scottish islands run on micro-grid, renewable-only power stations.
For instance:The Isle of Eigg: Powered entirely by a micro-grid of hydro, wind, and solar, completely disconnected from the UK grid.
It looks to me, that the Isle of Man, Shetland and Jersey, are the three most likely islands to get upgraded power systems and it also looks like Ørsted have the experience to make a good fist of it.
Conclusion
I have asked the question, I asked for the UK for a range of countries and I have received some interesting answers from Google AI. But the general trend seems to be to use appropriately-size medium-size and upwards, zero-carbon power stations with microgrids as on the Island of Eigg in the UK.
But I do believe that applying the technology that Ørsted, Highview Power and others are rolling out, that we can give the remote islands and places of Buckminster Fuller’s Spaceship Earth, the zero carbon power they need.
Centrica Buys Severn Gas Power Station In South Wales
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The owner of British Gas says the plant, acquired from the troubled Calon Energy for £370 million, will help secure supplies during the green transition
These three introductory paragraphs add more details to the story.
The owner of British Gas has acquired the troubled Severn gas power station in south Wales for £370 million after issuing a less than positive future profit guidance.
The combined-cycle gas turbine plant was owned by Calon Energy, which had gone into administration shortly after the start of the pandemic in 2020 when the power station was, for a while, mothballed.
Centrica said it acquired the plant to shore up its energy generation resources and secure electricity supplies during the UK’s green transition.
I think there a lot more to this story, than initially meets the eye.
The Location
The Google Map shows the location of the Severn Power station on the River Usk, to the South of Newport in South Wales.
Note.
- Severn power station is indicated by the red arrow in the South-West of the map.
- The River Usk enters the sea to the West of the site.
- The RSPB Newport Wetlandsare South of the site.
- The long rectangle in the middle of the map is the former Llanwern steelworks, which is now a CAF train factory.
- Newport is also a major station on the main line between London Paddington and Cardiff.
This second Google Map shows the power station site at a larger scale.
I wouldn’t be surprised, that Centrica could fit other equipment on and around the power station site.
- Centrica and/or National Grid might want to put an interconnector across the Severn Estuary.
- There might be a need to connect to wind farms in the Severn Estuary.
- Centrica are building a bunkering facility for ships running on low carbon fuels at Grain LNG Terminal. Will they build one here?
- Centrica could build a HiiROC electrolyser to create hydrogen for difficult to decarbonise industries and bunkering ships.
The site has a lot of potential.
Gas-Fired Power Still Looks A Safe Bet For Centrica In The Renewables Era
I feel rather surprisingly, the title of this post, is the same as this article on the Guardian.
You’d think, that they would be critical of Centrica for keeping the gas power stations going.
But this is the sub-heading.
There will still be a need to have gas in the wings to keep the lights on, so the financials stack up on Severn plant purchase.
So why should Centrica buy a 832 MW closed cycle gas fired power station?
These posts describe, what Centrica have done at Brigg with another closed cycle gas fired power station.
- Construction Under Way To Double Power Station Capacity At Centrica’s Brigg Energy Park
- Hydrogen Milestone: UK’s First Hydrogen-to-Power Trial At Brigg Energy Park
Will Centrica be taking closed cycle gas fired power stations and making them more efficient to provide the back up to wind farms, when wind is having an off day?
I wouldn’t be surprised, if Centrica put a big battery on the two sites, as after all they are a godparent to Highview Power.
Are there any more closed cycle gas fired power stations, that they can acquire?
I asked, Google AI,”How many closed cycle gas fired power stations are there in the uk?” and received this answer.
As of early 2026, there are approximately 35 active combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power stations—often referred to as closed-cycle—in the UK.
These plants provide the bulk of the UK’s gas-fired capacity, totaling roughly 30-35 GW along with smaller, single-cycle (OCGT) plants which are used for backup.
Total Capacity: The total capacity of all gas-fired generation (CCGT and others) is approximately 35.7 GW.
Role in Power Mix: CCGTs are highly efficient and provide baseload power, while OCGT plants (about 14+ sites) are typically used for peak demand.
Key Locations: Major plants include Pembroke (RWE), Staythorpe (RWE), Didcot B (RWE), and Connah’s Quay (Uniper).
These plants remain the largest single source of electricity generation on the UK grid, though they are increasingly being paired with carbon capture proposals.
I think, that Engineer Baldrick is now working for Centrica and he has a cunning plan to use efficient CCGT power stations to back up the wind.
Consider.
- Severn power station is an 832 MW combined cycle power plant running on natural gas, which is located near Newport in South Wales.
- 4.5 GW of offshore wind is to be built near Port Talbot.
- Will some hydrogen generated by HiiROC be used to part-fire Severn power station and reduce its carbon footprint.
- South Wales can easily find space for a couple of Highview 300 MW/3.2 GWh CRYOBatteries.
- It would be useful to have a good-sized hydrogen store in South Wales.
That mix would surely provide enough reliable power for green steelmaking and a few data centres.
Oman Set For Next Frontier In Energy Storage
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Times of Oman.
This first paragraph introduces the story.
Oman’s solar story is already being written. Manah, Ibri II, and the next wave of solar IPPs moving through procurement have placed the Sultanate firmly among the region’s renewable leaders. The next chapter, the one every solar-rich nation is racing to author, is about the long-duration energy storage technology that powers the grid after sunset. Lithium-ion batteries handle the first few hours effectively. What comes after is the harder problem, and it is increasingly being solved by a technology called Liquid Air Energy Storage, or LAES: a technology that aligns naturally with Oman’s industrial base.
The article then describes how the technology to handle LAES technology aligns with all their expertise in handling liquified natural gas.
This paragraph outlines Oman’s expertise in cryogenic engineering.
Oman’s natural advantage in this race deserves far more attention than it has received. Cryogenic engineering, the discipline of holding substances at extraordinarily low temperatures without losing them, is the most demanding part of any LAES plant. It is also the foundation of the LNG export business that has run out of Qalhat for a quarter of a century. The workforce that liquefies natural gas at minus 162 degrees Celsius is the same workforce that can liquefy air. The insulation expertise, the compressor specifications, and the maintenance discipline are all already here, refined over decades and built locally. Few nations possess this depth of capability as a domestic resource. Oman does.
If Oman have called this one right, then any nation with plentiful renewable resources, of solar, hydro, offshore wind or geothermal, should be looking at Liquid Air Energy Storage.
This is not the first time, that Liquid Air Energy Storage has been paired with LNG.
Highview Power are the UK pioneers of Liquid Air Energy Storage and on the Projects page of their web site, there is this section on Japan.
Our investment partner Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI), together with Hiroshima Gas, is developing a grid‑scale LAES demonstration plant in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima. The 5 MW, four‑hour facility will use waste cold from an adjacent LNG terminal to enhance efficiency and sustainability, showcasing the flexibility of Highview’s modular LAES technology. The plant is scheduled to be operational in 2025.
In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?, I describe how the Hiroshima plant held a completion ceremony on the 9th December, 2025.
Liquid Air Energy Storage and LNG may seem unlikely bedfellows, but when engineers share a few beers, joint projects seem to emerge.
SSE And Centrica Lifted As UK Moves Wind And Solar Farms To Fixed-Price Contracts
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Proactive Investor.
These two paragraphs add more detail.
Shares in SSE PLC (LSE:SSE), Centrica and several renewable energy investment companies rose after the UK government confirmed plans to move older wind and solar farms onto fixed-price contracts, or else be hit with higher windfall taxes.
SSE, which owns windfarms and hydroelectric power plants, saw its share climb 3.3% to 2,610p on Tuesday, while fellow FTSE 100-listed energy producer Centrica PLC (LSE:CNA), which owns British Gas, and FTSE 250-listed biomass burner Drax Group (LSE:DRX) were up 2.3% and 1.8%.
In World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, I posted an article, about why insurance companies invest in renewables.
I suspect someone has come up with an idea to make wind farms more attractive for long term investors.
The new mechanism are called Wholsale Contracts for Different and have this aim.
The move is aimed at breaking the link between electricity prices and gas in the UK, as wholesale power prices are currently set based on the gas price, despite renewables generating a growing share of power.
The proposed wholesale CfDs would target legacy assets
This can only be good for the UK, as we have so many long term renewables.
I also wonder, whether they will make Highview Power’s liquid air batteries a worthwhile investment?
The Anonymous Widower 