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

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 8, 2026--

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.

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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.

Image: EnergyPathways

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman view “Practical Magic” very differently today than they did when they made it 28 years ago.

In 1998, the film received mixed reviews and had a modest box office performance. It has since become a cult favorite, embraced by a new generation who found the romantic comedy through social media clips. The two Oscar winners are returning to their roles of witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens in “Practical Magic 2,” in theaters on Sept. 10, giving them a chance to reckon with the original’s rocky reception and its unlikely second life.

Both films trace their roots to Alice Hoffman’s novels: “Practical Magic,” published in 1995, inspired the original film, while her 2021 novel “The Book of Magic” expands the Owens family’s story and provides inspiration for the sequel.

Bullock recalls a promotional push for the original film that became memorable — for the wrong reasons.

“I had so much trauma from the press junket from the first one because it was brutal,” Bullock recalls. “We were not well-received because we were ‘too much,’ ‘too witchy,’ ‘too many women,’ ‘too many tones.’ I’m like, ‘Have you lived a day in a life as a woman?’ ”

“We didn’t stumble, but it stumbled, but it didn’t really stumble. Maybe it needed to marinate a little bit. We were marinating,” said Bullock. “But here we are, and how lucky are we that we’re still here to be able to go reap the benefits and the rewards of our work?”

The movie eventually found the audience it had missed in theaters, and Bullock said she realized there had been a reappraisal about six years ago.

“I was still harboring so much shame,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, the things that were said, I’m sorry, we thought we were doing something nice.’ And turns out we did. It was just 28 and change years too early.”

Part of that second life, Bullock believes, reflects a broader change in the way people have come to view the word “witch.”

“A witch has always been a negative connotation. It was presented that way. The word is being taken back, and there’s ownership of it from the community saying, ‘I’m a witch and I’m proud,’ ” Bullock said.

For Kidman, the film’s resurgence became personal.

“People started just coming into my life who would go, 'You want to know what my favorite film of yours is? ‘Practical Magic.’ And suddenly I was like, ‘What? Wow, OK,’ ” she said.

When it came time to make the sequel, Bullock sat down with her children and their friends to watch the original.

“I wanted fresh eyes,” she said. “Because we were embarking on the new chapter, the new baby witches coming in. I wanted to understand it from a point of view I didn’t have. I wanted to see what they had to say.”

As producers, Bullock and Kidman also faced the practical realities of mounting a legacy sequel on a budget. Among the challenges was recreating one of the original film’s most recognizable elements: the Owens house.

The production rebuilt the house on a London back lot as a full structure, rather than the temporary exterior shell used for the original film.

“It was an incredibly tough fiscal time. We were hedging the dollar,” Bullock said. “We’re not a big superhero film, so you don’t get the luxury of a big price tag.”

Kidman added: “And we also knew the responsibility of bringing it in on a certain price because then you go, 'OK, we can breathe a bit,' ” she said. “I think when a budget blows out, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, the stress.’ And we don’t need any more stress in our lives. It’s stressful enough.”

The sequel continues the story of the younger generation of Owens women, with Joey King and Maisie Williams playing Kylie and Antonia Owens, the daughters of Sally.

“I really appreciate that it’s like a passing of the baton. I think it’s beautiful,” King said. “It just felt like we were stepping into their world and doing this with them, and it’s a real gift and honor to be considered the people who are taking the batons.”

Producer Denise Di Novi, who also produced the original and cast King in her first leading role in 2010's “Ramona and Beezus,” said the new characters could carry the story forward.

“We would love to make a third one, and I think there’s so much more to do with Kylie and Antonia," she said. “At the end of the movie, spoiler alert, but you kind of feel like the Sally and Gillian characters are kind of the elder aunts, you know, and Kylie and Antonia are the ones launching off into the world as witches.”

Williams is also hoping to expand on the younger Owens women’s story: “We’re so there for it. There’s so much more of ‘Book of Magic’ that we didn’t get to explore,” she said.

Maisie Williams, from left, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, and Joey King arrive at the premiere of "Practical Magic 2" on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at the Directors Village in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

From left, Maisie Williams, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Joey King pose for photographers upon arrival at the photo call for the film 'Practical Magic 2' on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Nicole Kidman, left, and Sandra Bullock arrive at the premiere of "Practical Magic 2" on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at the Directors Village in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Sandra Bullock, left, and Nicole Kidman pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Practical Magic 2' on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in London. (Photo by Millie Turner/Invision/AP)

Nicole Kidman, left, and Sandra Bullock arrive at the premiere of "Practical Magic 2" on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at the Directors Village in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)