The world’s largest and first commercial liquid air battery facility is planned for Trafford, Greater Manchester, creating over 200 jobs and putting the city at the forefront of the latest green technologies.

Backed by £10 million of government investment, the revolutionary CryoBattery project will be run by energy storage company Highview and will help the UK make the most of the energy generated from its world-class solar and wind sectors.

The CryoBattery offers a means of storing that excess energy and will do so on a far larger scale and for longer than existing batteries.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said:

This revolutionary new Cryobattery facility will form a key part of our push towards net zero, bringing greater flexibility to Britain’s electricity grid and creating green collar jobs in Greater Manchester.

Projects like these will help us realise the full value of our world-class renewables, ensuring homes and businesses can still be powered by green energy, even when the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing.

The CryoBattery works by using electricity to cool and compress air, turning it into liquid and storing it in industrial sized containers. It then feeds the liquid through a turbine, turning it back into electricity and pumping it back into the grid when it is needed.

This will give the UK far greater flexibility in helping meet the country’s electricity needs from the grid and when up and running could be used to power as many as 200,000 homes for 5 hours a day.

The UK is now home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm, and a third of the country’s electricity needs are now met from renewable sources. But the unpredictable nature of wind and solar power means that energy can be produced when it is not needed by the grid.

Harnessing storage technologies is a key part of meeting the UK’s legally-binding target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The project will be managed by energy storage company HighView and its partner Carlton Power, both UK firms.

The CryoBattery project is funded through the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme.

About Highview Power

Highview Power is a designer and developer of the CRYOBattery™, a proprietary cryogenic energy storage system that delivers reliable and cost-effective long-duration energy storage to enable a 100% renewable energy future. Its proprietary technology uses liquid air as the storage medium and can deliver anywhere from 20 MW/100 MWh to more than 200 MW/2 GWh of energy and has a lifespan over 30 years. Developed using proven components from mature industries, it delivers pumped-hydro capabilities without geographical constraints and can be configured to convert waste heat and cold to power.

• PM announces MBEs for veterans of the French Resistance, recognising their role defending the UK and France in WWII
• President Macron visits UK today to commemorate 80th Anniversary of General de Gaulle’s broadcast from London
• PM and President Macron to hold a bilateral meeting, view WWII artefacts and watch a fly past by the RAF and the French Air Force

Four French Resistance fighters will receive honorary MBEs from Britain in recognition of their role defending the UK, France and other Allies in the Second World War.

Edgard Tupët-Thomé (aged 100), Daniel Bouyjou-Cordier (aged 99), Hubert Germain (aged 99) and Pierre Simonet (aged 98) are the four surviving ‘Compagnons’ of the Order of Liberation and played a significant role in facilitating the Allies’ rapid advance through France following the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Their nominations come as the Prime Minister welcomes French President Macron to London today (Thursday) to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of General de Gaulle’s ‘Appel’, when Churchill gave special permission for de Gaulle to broadcast from the BBC directly to occupied France following the Nazi invasion. This moment is widely considered to be the origin of the French Resistance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Eighty years ago Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the French Resistance, arrived in London knowing that the values of freedom, tolerance and democracy that Britain and France shared were under threat. He pledged that we would stand together to defend those values and protect our citizens from those bent on destroying us.

The four men we are honouring today – Pierre, Edgard, Daniel and Hubert – symbolise the enduring depth and strength of the friendship between our two countries. They are heroes, and I am immensely proud that as a nation we are paying tribute to their courage and sacrifice in defending us and the whole world from fascism.

The struggles we face today are different to those we confronted together 80 years ago. But I have no doubt that – working side by side – the UK and France will continue to rise to every new challenge and seize every opportunity that lies ahead.

Following ceremonial events with the Prince of Wales today, President Macron will be hosted by the Prime Minister in Downing Street. The leaders will view artefacts documenting General de Gaulle’s time in London and his close partnership with Winston Churchill – including their letters. They will also hold a bilateral meeting to discuss a range of issues, including our shared battle against coronavirus.

The Prime Minister and President Macron will also watch a flypast together, performed by the Red Arrows and their French equivalent, La Patrouille de France – who are flying over London to mark the anniversary of the Appel.

The honorary MBEs will be presented at a ceremony in France in the coming months.

Notes to Editors

• The veterans are being recognised for ‘services to the United Kingdom in the Second World War’. The title of ‘honorary MBE’ – which is awarded to foreign nationals – makes the recipients honorary members of the Order of Chivalry and allows them to use the initials ‘MBE’ after their name.

• Edgard Tupët-Thomé was born on 19 April, 1920 in Bourg-la-Reine (Seine). He took part as a Sergeant in the attacks in Lorraine in September 1939 and then in Belgium in May 1940. His unit was part of the defending force during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk and he went on to become a Lieutenant in the 4th Air Infantry Battalion, completing several parachute missions.

• Pierre Simonet was born on 27 October, 1921 in Hanoi. He was part of the Expeditionary Force whose mission was to rally French West Africa (AOF) to Free France in Dakar. Throughout the war he took part in various campaigns including in France and Italy. Second Lieutenant Simonet flew a total of 137 war missions in 250 flying hours and was awarded four commendations.

• Daniel Bouyjou-Cordier was born on 10 August 1920 in Bordeaux (Gironde). He enlisted with his comrades in the “Légion de Gaulle” on 28 June 1940. He was parachuted into France near Montluçon on July 26, 1942 as a radio operator. In March 1944, he was pursued by the Gestapo and escaped through the Pyrenees before travelling to England at the end of May 1944 and being appointed head of the Bureau of Intelligence and Action’s agent parachuting section.

• Hubert Germain was born on August 6, 1920 in Paris. He engaged in the Free French Forces from the outset and went on to serve in Egypt, Tunisia and Italy. He took part in the landing in Provence in August 1944 and in the liberation of Toulon, the Rhone Valley and Lyon. He then took part in the Vosges and Alsace campaigns and ended the war in the southern Alps.

Photos of the four recipients are available below:

In Downing Street the Prime Minister and President will view artefacts including the ‘Order de la Liberation’ – a Cross of Lorraine in crystal glass gifted from General De Gaulle to Churchill, a microphone from the 1940s similar to that used by de Gaulle to broadcast his ‘Appel’ and a letter from General de Gaulle to Winston Churchill dated 23 June 1940 in which he discusses the launch of the French Resistance.

Coronavirus press conference (17 June 2020)

Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s Downing Street press briefing. I’d like to start with the daily update on the latest data on coronavirus.

The first slide shows cases confirmed with a test:

• 7,121,976 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out or posted out in the UK. This includes 140,359 tests carried out or posted yesterday.
• 299,251 people have tested positive, an increase of 1,115 cases since yesterday.

The second slide shows the latest data from hospitals:

• 387 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 14 June, that is down from 435 a week earlier, and down from a peak of 3,432 on 1 April.
• 379 coronavirus patients are currently in mechanical ventilation beds in the UK, down from 494 a week ago, and down from a peak of 3,301 on 12 April.

The third slide shows what is happening in hospitals across the country:

• There are now 5,308 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK, down 13% from 6,123 a week ago and down from a peak of 20,698 on 12 April.
• As you’ll see from the graphs while there is some variation, most nations and regions of the UK are broadly following a similar pattern.

The fourth slide shows the daily figures for those who have sadly lost their lives after testing positive for coronavirus:

• Across all settings, the total number of deaths now stands at 42,153. That’s sadly an increase of 184 fatalities since yesterday.
• When you measure that on a 7-day rolling average, the daily number of deaths currently stands at 146, down from a peak of 943 on 14 April.

As you’ll see from those slides we’re making important progress, and today marks another milestone.

In just under an hour’s time, the best league in the world will be back up and running after a 100 day pause.

All but five countries will be airing tonight’s games – underlining football’s global reach and the soft power of UK sport. The Premier League is returning and the world will be watching.

Of course it will be very different to what we’re used to. But there is no doubt that this is a hugely symbolic moment.

An important step forward in our careful journey back towards normality, players back at their place of work, and a boost for our football loving nation.

We’ve worked really hard with the football authorities, police and medical experts to get to this point. But we do need fans to play their part too.

So please, look after your fellow fans and your communities by watching from home. To keep the home advantage, support from home.

All 92 remaining Premier League games will be shown live on television, and I’m delighted that I and others managed to work hard to get a third of them on free-to-air channels.

Friday will be the first on free-to-air, with Norwich versus Southampton. Then an important day on Saturday , that will be the first ever Premier League game on the BBC, followed by the Merseyside Derby again free to air on Sunday.

And there will be extended highlights of all the games free to air. So you won’t have to miss a single goal.

Our sports men and women have set some incredible examples during this pandemic, using their profiles to support worthwhile causes across the UK.

England’s men’s and women’s cricket teams have donated half a million pounds towards charitable causes.

Rugby League’s Cheshire West Bank Bears have delivered food and parcels to the elderly.

And of course, England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford has made the front pages and the back pages for the very best reasons – highlighting the struggles facing many families during this difficult time but that is of course in addition to the fantastic work he’s been doing helping to feed millions of children through the FareShare charity.

The last three months have demonstrated the immense power of sport. It brings us together through kindness and common humanity.

I was struck by this last week when I teamed up with the His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and some of Britain’s biggest sports stars on mental health awareness.

We chatted about the need to deliver generational change in perceptions, and develop tools for good mental health – whether you’re a sports star at the top of your game, or a junior just starting out, or a fan going through a difficult period. As we get sport back, I really think this is a great opportunity for all of us to be much more open about talking about mental health.

The sports recovery was never just about elite sports. I know countless people are itching to get back to their gyms and leisure centres, to their five-a-side leagues and all their other normal fitness activities.

We’re working closely with the sector to get grassroots and community sport back up and running as soon as it is safe to do so, with an aim of the start of July at the very earliest. And as we continue our efforts to get children back to school, I want to focus on the role sport can play in improving young people’s physical and indeed their mental health.

Today is an important moment in our recovery. The return of elite sport has provided a model to follow. One based which is based on close partnership working with government, sport and the medics to bring it back safely.

It’s a model we are applying to other much-loved and much-missed parts of our economy – in particular the performing arts.

I know they face enormous challenges, particularly given the impact of social distancing on live venues, and I am looking hard at how we can address those challenges.

Over the last few weeks and months, I have been talking extensively and intensively with people from across the UK’s cultural sector to find a way through these issues – from some of our most creative directors and producers, to those running our greatest museums, theatres and music venues.

An important part of this is to get performances back up and running again. We have made a lot of progress through both the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and indeed the Entertainment and Events working group which sits within that. However, it is clear that we need greater flexibility to overcome some of the very specific and practical obstacles to the return of live performance.

That’s why over the next week we will be convening experts in a targeted way – bringing together some of our leading performers in theatre, choirs and orchestras with medical experts and advisers.

The idea is they will work together in detail on to develop that roadmap which is so badly needed to performing safely, with a particular focus on piloting innovative ideas that may permit live performances.

I know how essential our theatres, our music venues and the performing arts are to our wider cultural ecosystem.

Culture is our calling card. It’s respected around the world, and I am determined to work with them and across government to support it and to preserve its world leading position.

Today’s return of live football represents a significant milestone. But I hope it’s just another r step towards normality, to be followed by many more in the months to come.

Thank you.