AIM-listed EnergyPathways, the energy transition company, has given notice to and received consent from the North Sea Transition Authority ('NSTA') to apply for new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences in the East Irish Sea in support of its flagship MESH project. 

The Company expects to submit one or more new Gas Storage applications later this month to support its expansion plans for the MESH project - a large-scale long duration energy storage ("LDES") and decarbonisation project. The Company's nominated area for these new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences covers an area of salt cavern storage potential around four times greater than it had previously applied for.

This strategic step follows the direction issued on 26 September 2025 by the Rt Hon, Ed Miliband, the UK's Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, confirming that that key elements of the Company's integrated MESH development should be treated as a development of national significance under the 2008 Planning Act, underscoring its potential critical role in the country's long-term energy security and net zero strategy and the supply of more affordable energy to British consumers.

The Company's applications, if successful, will provide opportunity for expanded salt cavern energy storage capacity and the significant scalable expansion of the MESH project as a major integrated LDES and low-carbon flexible power system, further underpinning EnergyPathways' vision to grow the Project into one of the UK's largest integrated energy storage and decarbonisation hubs.

Ben Clube, Chief Executive Officer of EnergyPathways, commented:
"We are delighted to advance our plans to apply for new hydrogen and natural gas storage licences from the NSTA.

"This follows the Secretary of State's formal confirmation that our MESH project is a project of national significance - a powerful signal that reinforces our confidence in the UK investment environment for energy transition projects such as MESH. It further highlights MESH's potential to supply more affordable energy to Britain's consumers and make a material contribution to the nation's Clean Power 2030, energy security, and net zero ambitions.

"By developing MESH for large scale LDES, low-carbon flexible power and new hydrogen production industries, MESH is firmly aligned with the government's energy priorities. We are now accelerating project delivery alongside our Tier 1 partners, including Siemens Energy, Hazer Group in conjunction with KBR Inc., Wood plc, Costain plc, and Zenith Energy. In parallel we will progress our applications for the consents and approvals required to bring this landmark project into operation.

"If the Company is successful with these new hydrogen and natural gas storage licence applications, EnergyPathways will secure an area of salt cavern storage potential around four times greater than that it had previously sought. MESH would represent a scalable business model and growth platform for EnergyPathways that will have potential to become a key component in the decarbonised energy future of the UK."

About MESH

MESH is a new large scale energy storage facility that is expected to provide a secure and dependable supply of natural gas and clean hydrogen and low carbon flexible power for the UK market for over 25 years. MESH is an integrated energy system solution. It is electrifying and integrating existing infrastructure, connecting gas storage, hydrogen storage, and compressed air storage technologies with offshore wind and decarbonised power generation to establish a new major decarbonised energy hub for the UK.

The MESH system is designed to harness curtailed offshore wind power in an offshore LDES salt cavern storage as compressed air and hydrogen, with associated large scale natural gas storage in offshore gas field reservoirs. During periods of low renewable energy availability, stored energy resources will be utilized as follows: compressed natural gas will generate electricity via a gas turbine; compressed air will be expanded through a turbine to produce power; and in the future, hydrogen will be used in a hydrogen-compatible gas turbine or fuel cell to generate electricity.

This integrated system is expected to provide low- to zero-carbon dispatchable electricity to the grid, enhancing energy security and flexibility. Emissions can also be potentially captured and stored in nearby CCS reservoirs. Additionally, the stored hydrogen can be supplied to the UK's emerging Project Union hydrogen network, contributing to emissions reduction across the broader UK energy system.

MESH is designed to be the UK's largest integrated energy storage facility combining natural gas, compressed air and hydrogen storage. It will be able to store up to 20 TWh of energy. The MESH project is intended to deliver on the Government's 2030 Clean Power timeline and will ensure a reliable and secure supply of energy for the UK. MESH has been designed as a fully decarbonised and electrified zero emission facility that is to be powered by the renewable wind farms of the UK East Irish Sea region. EnergyPathways aims to play its role in supporting the Government in accelerating the UK's energy transition.

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