A merger between Carlton Power and Stag Energy will focus on energy storage, grid stabilization services, hydrogen production, and carbon markets.
Carlton Power Group plans to operate the new entity. Both have a history of working on gas reciprocating engines, open cycle gas turbines, and combined cycle gas turbines. System inertia, reactive power, and short circuit capacity are all areas in which the company intends to specialize in grid stability services. It was also developing a portfolio of green hydrogen production projects across the UK.
The Trafford Energy Park in Manchester is being developed by Carlton, a North Yorkshire-based company. As part of this, Highview Power is working on plans to build a 50 MW/250 MWh liquid air energy storage facility, as well as the Trafford Green Hydrogen transport and heating hydrogen electrolyzer and a 250 MWe battery storage facility. A 2 GW combined cycle gas plant was approved by the government in 2010 for the Trafford site.
For its Langage Energy Park near Plymouth in Devon, Carlton was also looking to add energy storage and electrolyser facilities. At the location, CCGT and solar assets had already been developed.
Scottish firm Stag Energy was working to support National Grid’s Pathfinder process, which was looking for new ways to stabilize the power grid. Drax Group purchased the company’s four 299-MW open-cycle gas turbine projects in England and Wales in 2019 after securing development consent orders for the projects.
Stag has also developed a number of small-scale back-up gas engine units in recent years, as well as the Gateway gas storage facility in the Irish Sea.