Jacobs to support regulatory and consenting strategy for UK’s MESH Energy Storage Project

Jacobs is appointed to steer planning and regulatory approvals for the 300MW/55GWh MESH long-duration energy storage project in the UK.

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Project to advance one of the country’s most significant long-duration energy storage projects

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Jacobs (NYSE: J) has been selected by EnergyPathways plc to provide consenting, regulatory and key Development Consent Order (DCO) activities for the MESH Energy Storage Project, a project designed to strengthen the United Kingdom’s energy security while supporting the transition to a more flexible, resilient energy system.

Image: EnergyPathways

Jacobs will manage the project’s planning and DCO strategy and delivery, leading environmental planning, technical coordination and stakeholder engagement to secure consent under the U.K.’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project planning process. EnergyPathways is aiming for the MESH project to be operational by 2031, subject to securing the necessary consents and financing.

Located in the Irish Sea with onshore infrastructure connecting into Barrow-in-Furness, MESH is expected to become one of the U.K.’s largest integrated energy storage projects (at 300MW/ 55GWh). It will combine compressed air energy storage (CAES) with natural gas and hydrogen storage to help balance renewable generation and improve energy resilience to offer ultra-long duration energy storage (more than 190 hours).

Jacobs Executive Vice President Richard Sanderson said: “As the U.K. accelerates investment in nationally significant energy infrastructure, successful delivery depends on a consenting strategy that integrates environmental stewardship and robust regulatory planning. MESH represents an important infrastructure development for Barrow-in-Furness and the wider U.K. energy system. Our extensive experience delivering complex infrastructure projects through the Development Consent Order process will support EnergyPathways in navigating planning and regulatory requirements while maintaining project momentum.”

EnergyPathways CEO Ben Clube said: “We are delighted that Jacobs will be joining the MESH project team and working alongside our Tier-1 partner group. Jacobs’ extensive experience in other nationally significant government-led infrastructure and energy projects within the U.K. and their direct experience in delivering complex engineering projects in the Northwest of England will be invaluable as we take MESH forward.”

Jacobs will also support EnergyPathways’ submission to Ofgem’s forthcoming Long Duration Electricity Storage Cap & Floor financial system alongside the Development Consent Order process, leading environmental and technical workstreams and integrating environmental assessment into the consenting strategy. The scope also includes stakeholder engagement with local councils and regional government, support for a grid connection application, and alignment of statutory consents and technical studies with the project schedule. Jacobs will also assess evolving legislation and planning policy to identify consenting risks and help streamline delivery across the parallel regulatory and planning processes.

This appointment builds on Jacobs’ extensive U.K. experience in environmental planning and delivery of complex energy and nationally significant infrastructure projects. Jacobs has supported major projects through the Development Consent Order process, including serving as integration partner for the Lower Thames Crossing program and as program manager on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project.

Since 2023, Jacobs has invested in developing industry-leading experience in compressed air energy storage technology, recognizing its potential as a key long-duration energy storage solution supporting the global energy transition. By combining technical assessments across the full project lifecycle with cost/benefit analysis of compressed air energy storage against alternative energy storage technologies, Jacobs has built deep capabilities to support the development and delivery of these projects worldwide.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow – delivering outcomes and solutions for the world’s most complex challenges. With approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and a team of approximately 47,000, we provide end-to-end services in advanced manufacturing, cities & places, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and water. From advisory and consulting, feasibility, planning, design, program and lifecycle management, we’re creating a more connected and sustainable world. See how at jacobs.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook.

Jacobs employs more than 6,000 people across the U.K., operating from 15 core offices and over 35 additional sites. Working with HM Government, local authorities and the private sector, Jacobs helps shape and deliver the nation’s most critical infrastructure, energy, environmental and community programs — creating social value by improving resilience, driving economic growth and enhancing quality of life.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not directly relate to any historical or current fact. When used herein, words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "plans," "intends," "future," "will," "would," "could," "can," "may," and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations, as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, uncertainties as to, the timing of the award of projects and funding and potential changes to the amounts provided for under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation and executive orders related to governmental spending, including any directive to federal agencies to reduce federal spending or the size of the federal workforce, and changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws, including the tax legislation enacted in the U.S. in July 2025, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances, including the impact of, and changes to tariffs and retaliatory tariffs or trade policies, that may adversely impact our future financial positions or results of operations, as well as general economic conditions, including inflation and the actions taken by monetary authorities in response to inflation, changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, changes in capital markets, the possibility of a recession or economic downturn, and increased uncertainty and risks, including policy risks and potential civil unrest, relating to the outcome of elections across our key markets and elevated geopolitical tension and conflicts, among others. For a description of these and additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

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Source: Jacobs

Key Terms

development consent order regulatory

A development consent order is a single legal approval that authorizes a major infrastructure or development project to proceed, combining planning permission and other required permits into one binding document after a formal review. For investors it matters because it provides legal certainty and clears a key hurdle to construction and revenue, similar to receiving a building permit plus all utility and safety sign-offs in one package, which reduces delay and financing risk.

nationally significant infrastructure project regulatory

A nationally significant infrastructure project is a large-scale construction or upgrade—such as power plants, major roads, ports, or energy transmission lines—formally designated by a national government or statute as having country-wide importance and subject to a central, streamlined approval process rather than local planning rules. For investors it matters because this status concentrates permitting, environmental review, and legal challenges at the national level, which can speed decisions, change timing and costs, and affect project risk in ways similar to giving a project a single, decisive permitting authority instead of many local ones.

compressed air energy storage technical

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a utility-scale method that stores energy by using electricity to compress air and hold it in underground caverns or pressure vessels; when electricity is needed, the stored air is expanded through turbines to generate power. It matters to investors because CAES provides large-scale, long-duration electricity storage that helps balance supply and demand, smooth intermittent renewable output, and affect a grid operator's capacity and revenue streams — think of it as a giant rechargeable air battery for the grid.

cap & floor financial

Cap and floor are paired financial contracts that set an upper limit (cap) and a lower limit (floor) on a floating interest rate or other variable, typically using option-style payments: a cap pays when the rate rises above the cap, a floor pays when it falls below the floor. They matter to investors because they let borrowers, lenders, or holders of floating-rate instruments lock in a range for future costs or income—like fitting a car with a governor and a minimum speed—reducing uncertainty about future cash flows while usually involving a premium or trade-off.