A consortium of EDF, io consulting, and Hydrostor Inc. has won £1 million from the UK Government department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to develop storage of electricity as compressed air. This could use mothballed EDF gas cavities in Cheshire, United Kingdom. 

This energy storage will increase the resilience of the UK’s electricity system, allowing greater roll-out of renewable electricity which will help to decarbonise industries beyond electrical power helping Britain meet its Net Zero target.

Energy is stored as compressed air in the underground cavities when electricity generation exceeds demand, and then released when demand exceeds generation, providing grid stability and flexibility.

The Consortium now has until January 2023 to work on the design and commercial aspects of the plant. The initial plan is to assess a five megawatt (MW) plant which could power more than 8,000 homes. The 5MW plant could create around 5 jobs during operation and 80 jobs during construction. It is intended to investigate how the scheme might scale up to a larger 100MW+ scheme.

Energy & Climate Change Minister Greg Hands said:

“Driving forward energy storage technologies will be vital in our transition towards cheap, clean and secure renewable energy.

It will allow us to extract the full benefit from our home-grown renewable energy sources, drive down costs and end our reliance on volatile and expensive fossil fuels. Through this competition we are making sure the country’s most innovative scientists and thinkers have our backing to make this ambition a reality.”

Rachael Glaving, EDF's Commercial Director, said: 

"It is a very exciting time with EDF exploring many emerging technologies in this area, with the aim of helping the UK deliver its Net Zero objective. It's great having a site, which has historically been used to store natural gas, now looking to be adapted for compressed air energy storage. We will also look to maintain the strong relationship with our neighbours in Cheshire."

Richard Dyson, io’s CEO, comments 

“io is delighted to be part of this consortium because not only does it allow us to continue building on our relationship with Hydrostor as well as building on our nascent relationship with EDF but most importantly because Long Duration, Large Scale Energy Storage (LDES) is pivotal to allowing ever higher levels of renewables penetration on to UK and other electricity grids, which in turn is absolutely crucial to developed economies strives towards a net zero future.  We believe io brings a unique set of skills to the consortium founded on our systems engineering capabilities and we look forward to working together with our partners to help commercialise this critical technology.”

Commenting on the announcement, Curtis VanWalleghem, Hydrostor’s CEO said: 

“This consortium demonstrates Hydrostor’s commitment towards developing advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) globally. By leveraging existing infrastructure, we can efficiently deliver long duration energy storage that is cost effective and emission free, supporting a net-zero future. We look forward to working with key stakeholders, EDF, and io consulting to progress the development of A-CAES within the UK.“ 

About EDF in the UK

EDF is helping Britain achieve Net Zero by leading the transition to a cleaner, low emission electric future and tackling climate change. We are Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity – from our eight nuclear power stations and more than thirty wind farms – meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand. In addition to being one of the largest suppliers to British homes and businesses, we’re a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping our customers become more energy efficient and independent. We continue to invest in the UK’s low carbon energy infrastructure, constructing the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C, leading the development of plans for Sizewell C in Suffolk, and construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage. EDF is part of EDF Group, the world’s biggest electricity generator. In the UK we employ around 11,000 people. Visit www.edfenergy.com 

About io consulting

io consulting is a project architect in the energy and hydrocarbons sectors. Formed as a JV between Baker Hughes and McDermott with the mission to work in the early front end of projects, bringing our specific techno-economic expertise integrated with the access to technology and execution know-how of our parents and partner organisations. io is distinctive with its integrated strategic-techno-commercial capabilities ensuring a balanced approach between competing priorities capitalising on multi-discipline capabilities. Our approach is designed to provide clients with the confidence to invest and certainty that the selected concept and subsequent project can be delivered. Best considered as a systems integrator, io has deep domain expertise in the very early stages of major projects, specialised in identifying the key project drivers and bringing transparency to Tier 1 development decisions. For global energy insights visit www.ioconsulting.com

About Hydrostor 

Hydrostor is a long-duration energy storage solutions provider that provides reliable and affordable utility integration of long-duration energy storage, enabling grid operators to scale renewable energy and secure grid capacity. Hydrostor supports the green economic transition, employing the people, suppliers, and technologies from the traditional energy sector to design, build, and operate emissions-free energy storage facilities. Hydrostor has developed, deployed, tested, and demonstrated that its patented Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (“A-CAES”) technology can provide long-duration energy storage and enable the renewable energy transition. A-CAES uses proven components from mining and gas operations to create a scalable energy storage system that is low-impact, cost-effective, 50+ year lifetime, and can store energy from 5 hours up to multi-day storage where needed. Hydrostor has projects worldwide in various development stages for providing capacity of over 200 MW each. Follow us on LinkedIn. To learn more visit www.hydrostor.ca

 

EDF Contact 

Martyn Butlin  

External Communications Manager

martyn.butlin@edf-energy.com

io consulting Contact

Phil Penfold

Executive Vice President, Business Development & Brand

phil.penfold@ioconsulting.com

Hydrostor Contact

Will Bartlett 

Associate

william.bartlett@hydrostor.ca