Future Energy
Building the UK’s clean power backbone.
Staffordshire is converting industrial heritage into green advantage: grid digitalisation, energy storage, hydrogen engines and corridor scale decarbonisation are all moving from pilot to plant here.
Key numbers
£18–20m Hitachi Energy campus
2026 opening creating hundreds of jobs
Keele campus electricity generated renewably
saving around 1,500 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
£ JCB hydrogen R&D
EU/GB type approval secured
new jobs at GE Vernova
expanding Stafford facilities and doubling manufacturing capacity to support global renewable energy infrastructure
Grid automation and digital energy, scaled
Hitachi Energy is investing up to £20m in a new Operational Campus at Beacon Park (Stafford), retaining around 400 roles and creating hundreds more. Ground broke in June 2025 and the site is set to open in 2026, with a dedicated innovation area to help the UK meet its 2030/2050 clean power targets.
Building the UK’s clean‑power backbone
Staffordshire’s energy sector has grown by 20% since 2014. Global leaders are scaling here—from JCB’s £100 million investment in hydrogen engine technology, powered by a team of over 100 specialist engineers, to Hitachi Energy’s £20 million operational campus supporting next-generation grid infrastructure. Together, these investments position Staffordshire as a centre for clean energy innovation, offering the land, talent, and partnerships needed to accelerate grid digitalisation, hydrogen technologies, and energy storage.
Hydrogen in heavy duty
JCB’s £100m hydrogen engine programme – type approved in the EU and GB – demonstrates a viable zero emission pathway where batteries struggle. Mobile refuelling (HyKit) unlocks off grid sites, with trials and showcases held at Rocester in Staffordshire.
Corridor scale decarbonisation
The A50/A500 fifty500 prospectus sets out a clean energy super corridor vision – hydrogen, electrification, skills and supplier parks – linking manufacturers with East Midlands/Liverpool Freeports and shrinking logistics emissions across a 90km spine from Crewe to Nottingham.
Air cargo decarbonisation enablers
East Midlands Airport’s re configured cargo stands and runway side plots support newer, more efficient freighters and logistics electrification; the 54% cargo growth plan integrates Freeport tax sites and 24/7 operations to future proof UK supply chains with lower emissions per tonne km.
The bottom line
From grid digitalisation to hydrogen power and batteries, Staffordshire offers the land, partners, and corridors that clean‑energy manufacturers need to industrialise – and decarbonise – at speed.