Ongoing operations
Spirit Energy’s Barrow Gas Terminal employs around 200 people and is at the heart of the company’s vital gas production operations. At one point, it met about 20% of the UK’s domestic gas demand.
The terminal supports production from the Morecambe Hub, comprising the Morecambe North and South, Rhyl and Calder gas fields in the East Irish Sea.
For more than 40 years, the company has been producing natural gas from the Morecambe Hub, with approximately 7 trillion cubic feet, or 1.1 billion boe, produced to date.
Today, gas from Morecambe is processed before entry to the National Transmission System. The offshore facilities and onshore terminal also provide gathering and processing services for third parties.
The operation remains a key asset within the UK’s gas infrastructure, supporting UK energy security, powering economic growth and providing direct and indirect employment opportunities locally and across the UK’s supply chain.
Energy transition
Spirit Energy plans to repurpose the depleted fields to develop Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ), potentially the UK’s largest permanent, safe and secure carbon store, capable of storing up to 1 billion tonnes of CO2.
Subject to FID and regulatory approvals, the company could begin storing around four million tonnes of CO2 in the fields every year from 2030.
Through the company’s MNZ-Peak Cluster partnership, bringing together four of the UK’s leading cement and lime producers, the development would decarbonise 40% of UK cement and lime production.
The project could also provide an economic boost to the UK of approximately £1.8bn by 2050, creating and safeguarding more than 13,000 jobs across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cumbria, and attracting a further £5bn of investment in construction and operations work.
Last updated 15/1/2026