Last updated: November 2025

Energy storage pioneer Highview has secured £130 million in new investment to accelerate the development of a large-scale long-duration energy storage facility at Hunterston in North Ayrshire. The funding round, which includes £45 million from the Scottish National Investment Bank alongside Centrica, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital, marks a significant milestone for Highview’s plans to deliver 3.2 GWh of hybrid long-duration energy storage in southwest Scotland.

Delivering Scotland’s first stability island

The investment enables construction of the project’s first phase and positions Hunterston as one of the UK’s most important sites for tackling grid intermittency and renewable energy curtailment.

Phase one of the project will deliver Highview’s new stability island, a system designed to provide critical grid stability services that are currently lacking in the region. Operating independently from the wider energy storage system, the stability island will deliver essential inertia, short circuit level and voltage support to help maintain grid balance as more renewable energy comes online.

By improving the resilience of the southwest Scotland network, the stability island will allow more clean power to be transmitted from generation hubs in Scotland to centres of demand across the UK. It represents a first step to enabling a more secure, flexible and low-carbon energy system.

A hybrid long-duration storage solution

The project’s second phase will integrate a hybrid long-duration energy storage system, combining liquid air energy storage with lithium-ion batteries. This approach will allow the facility to deliver power for longer durations with enhanced operational flexibility, supporting system needs during periods of low wind and solar generation.

The full site will also incorporate advanced grid analytics, offering real-time insight into energy usage and grid behaviour. This capability will help system operators plan future infrastructure and manage the rapid growth of intermittent renewable generation.

Supporting Scotland’s net zero ambitions

The Hunterston development forms part of Scotland’s wider mission to build a resilient, decarbonised power system that supports economic opportunity. Located at Peel Ports at Hunterston, the project is expected to generate around 1,000 onsite jobs during construction and a further 650 supply-chain roles across all phases.

The stability island is expected to be operational by January 2028, with the full hybrid long-duration energy storage facility targeted for 2030.

National validation and market confidence

Highview’s long-duration storage technology has recently received major national validation, with both Hunterston and a sister project in Lincolnshire confirmed as eligible under Ofgem’s Cap and Floor support scheme for long-duration energy storage. This framework provides a minimum revenue floor to manage downside risk while sharing upside performance with consumers; it establishes a clear commercial pathway for long-duration storage in the UK.

In total, more than £500 million has now been raised to commercialise Highview’s Millennium Series of hybrid LDES facilities across the UK. This programme builds on the company’s 300 MWh liquid air energy storage facility at Carrington in Manchester, which is due to have its first phase operational in August 2026 and its liquid air system online in 2027.

Unlocking the next era of grid stability

By combining long-duration storage, critical stability services and advanced analytics, Highview’s Hunterston facility is designed to address one of the UK’s most pressing energy challenges: how to integrate large volumes of renewable power while maintaining a stable and secure grid.

For investors, the project represents a rare opportunity to support a world-leading energy storage technology at commercial scale. For Scotland, it signals a step forward in delivering a resilient, net-zero power system.