INTRODUCING

THE SOLWAY FIRTH

LOW COST ENERGY HUB

CONCEPT

Using Locally Generated Power Locally

Keep costs low, attract power hungry businesses

Create an Enterprise Development Zone for Dumfries, Carlisle and the Energy Coast

Re-energise the North West of England and South West of Scotland

Bring us your Data Centres, Scrap Metal Processing plants, Cable manufacturers etc

Uses the shared infrastructure principles used across many Enterprise ann Duty Free zones across the world

Add thousands of jobs, create regional wealth

We have amazing natural resources

up to 9m+ tides, yes that's right. Big tides, every day

Why this concept will work:

•Local generation + local consumption = lower energy costs

•Avoids national grid charges for unused infrastructure, uses an OFTO‑style model enables private financing of the ring

•Surplus power exported south via Harker for extra revenue

Revenue Streams

•Use‑of‑system charges from industrial customers, Export of surplus low‑carbon power, Ancillary services to the national grid

•Long‑term industrial tenancy and land value uplift

•Programme Delivery Four coordinated workstreams:

•Technical — routing, substations, modelling

•Master-planning — zoning, anchor loads, land strategy

•Commercial — contracts, generation migration, regulatory pathways

•Financial — cost model, revenue model, business case

Outcome: A resilient, low‑carbon, low‑cost energy ecosystem that unlocks a new industrial economy for the Solway region.

TECHNICAL CONCEPT

Introducing the Solway Power Ring (132–220 kV)

A meshed, bidirectional electrical backbone connecting: Carlisle → Gretna/Annan → Dumfries → Kirkcudbright → Wigtown Bay → Silloth → Workington → Carlisle.

Local Generation Integrated into the Ring

•SMRs near Carlisle/Whitehaven — baseload, grid‑forming stability

•Tidal arrays — predictable, schedulable output

•Wind clusters — coastal and upland

•Solar parks — brownfield and ex‑military land

Major Demand Nodes

• 10 data centres (dual‑fed, flexible compute), Scrap metal plants (interruptible, high‑load), Desalination plant (flexible load),

• Factories, logistics hubs, industrial estates

System Characteristics

• Local balancing before export, N‑1 resilience, Central control centre for dispatch, curtailment, and demand response

MAIN BENEFITS

Economic & Industrial Growth for North West England & South Western Scotland

•Attract Tier 1 anchor industries: data centres, aluminium, hydrogen, battery plants, composites

•Stimulate Tier 2 & 3 supply chains across engineering, logistics, and services

•Re‑shore advanced manufacturing currently outsourced abroad

•Job Creation: 5 years: 4,500–9,000 jobs, 20 years: 12,000–24,000 jobs

•Financial Return: Investment: £1.5–£2.5B, GVA return: £6–£17.5B over 20 years

•Fiscal return: £2–£4B, Payback: 7–10 years [numbers are indicative]

•Regional Impact

•Re‑energises Dumfries, Wigton, Workington, Silloth, Maryport, Carlisle

•Supports local colleges and universities

•Creates a long‑term skills and training pipeline

Overview: We can create a cross‑border clean‑energy enterprise zone across Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway, powered by a shared high‑voltage electrical ring integrating SMRs, tidal, wind, and solar.

•Core Idea Use local power locally, avoid national grid overheads, and export surplus via Harker — enabling a new industrial cluster with predictable, low‑carbon, low‑cost energy.

•Strategic Positioning: •Builds on the Energy Coast, •Revitalises Carlisle–Dumfries–Workington corridor, •Creates a UK‑leading clean‑energy industrial hub

Next Steps: Funding for formal vision/concept feasibility study to verify concept, data and potential. Integrate the new vision with existing programs. Obtain wider support.