Engineering and infrastructure specialist Spencer Group will start developing the first commercial-scale plant in the UK deploying pioneering liquid air energy storage (LAES) technology.
The £23m contract involves the design of the site layout and delivery of the enabling and civils works of the facility at Trafford Energy Park in Carrington, Manchester.
Highview Power, an LAES specialist, is commissioning the £300m plant to store the surplus electricity generated from wind and solar through the technology.
LAES technology works by converting excess energy into liquid air, which can be easily and safely stored, through a process of cooling, compression and expansion.
When power is required, the liquid air is drawn from storage tanks, pumped to high pressure and reheated. The resulting high-pressure gas is used to power a turbine and generate clean electricity on demand.
Spencer said the Carrington plant will be one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind. Once complete, it will have a storage capacity of 300MWh – enough clean and green energy to serve 480,000 homes.
Spencer Group’s executive chairman, Charlie Spencer OBE, said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this exciting and pioneering project, which promises to reshape the future of renewable energy.
“We have a strong track record of delivering large-scale energy projects and we’re excited to expand our portfolio of works within this field with a project that will play a key role in the UK’s energy transition.”
Spencer’s civils division will begin work on site in late 2024, with the plant expected to be operational in 2026.
