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MESH confirmed as project of national significance
EnergyPathways PLC announced that the UK's Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has recognized major elements of its MESH project as a development of national significance. This designation means the project will now follow priority development authorization processes under the Planning Act 2008. The MESH project, located in the East Irish Sea and Barrow-in-Furness, aims to support government targets for Clean Power 2030 and Net Zero. The project includes long duration energy storage designed to capture wasted UK wind power, flexible low-carbon power capacity, and low-carbon hydrogen production. MESH gas storage is expected to be equivalent in size to Centrica's Rough gas storage facility. Disclaimer*
About this update from Energypathways Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n29 September 2025\nEnergyPathways plc\n \n(\"EnergyPathways\" or the \"Company\")\n Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero recognises EnergyPathways' MESH project as being of national significance\n \nEnergyPathways (AIM: EPP), the energy transition company, is delighted to announce that the Rt Hon, Ed Miliband, the UK's Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has formally directed that the major elements of the Company's flagship MESH project be treated as a development of national significance requiring development consent under the Planning Act 2008.\n \nWith the Secretary of State's decision, the major elements of the MESH project will now follow the priority development authorisation processes under the Planning Act 2008, reserved for projects of national significance in energy and other sectors.\n \nMESH - a Transformational Energy Hub\n \nLocated in the East Irish Sea and Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, the MESH project has the potential to become a cornerstone of the UK's clean energy infrastructure, directly supporting Government targets for Clean Power 2030, Net Zero and industrial growth.\n \nThe Secretary of State's decision recognises the main large scale and high impact elements of the MESH project, which are:\n \n· Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES): a scalable system integrating compressed air, thermal and hydrogen geo-storage, designed to capture and monetise the £billions lost annually in wasted UK wind power;\n \n· Flexible Low-Carbon Power Capacity: multi-day, low-cost backup to stabilise the UK's grid, reducing the UK's reliance on aging and costly high-emission unabated gas power plants;\n \n· Low-Carbon Hydrogen Production: a scalable system producing hydrogen at a fraction of the cost of electrolytic hydrogen and without producing waste carbon dioxide. This technology system could help to decarbonise Britain's gas supply with no emissions and will help to unlock a sustainable clean energy future for North Sea undeveloped gas reserves currently overlooked due to emission concerns;\n \n· Next-Generation British Industries: production of high-purity synthetic graphite, a critical mineral in a growing global market for battery applications, and the produc...