International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has advised Highview Power on the project which will see the UK's first commercial-scale liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant built in Manchester. 

Highview Power has secured the backing of the UK Infrastructure Bank and energy industry leader Centrica in the £300 million funding round, alongside a syndicate of investors including Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital. 

The investment will enable the construction of one of the world’s largest long duration energy storage (LDES) facilities in Carrington, using Highview’s proprietary LAES technology which can store excess renewable energy for up to several weeks, longer than battery technologies. Effective storage of excess energy produced by renewables is seen an essential element of the energy transition.

Construction will begin immediately on the plant which, when complete in early 2026, will have a storage capacity of 300 MWh and an output power of 50 MWs per hour for six hours.

Addleshaw Goddard advised on the equity capital raise together with wider aspects of the project development including construction, property and IP, with a team of more than 30 lawyers from the firm led by Paul Jones and including James Reynolds, Amanda Davis and Georgina Powling. 

Paul Jones said: "Harnessing technologies such as LAES is essential for the UK as it transitions to net zero and it is fantastic to see the project reach this stage, which establishes our country at the cutting edge of energy storage. Our team has extensive experience of advising on 'first-of-a-kind' projects which present new challenges and we can't wait to see the plant become operational and look forward to the roll out of more facilities across the UK."

Highview Power has plans for four larger scale 2.5 GWh facilities, with a total anticipated investment of £3 billion. These plants would provide stability services to the National Grid, allowing for long-term replacement of fossil fuel-based power plants for system support.