The news follows the recent launch of Vertex Hydrogen, in which Essar will invest £1bn over the next five years to drive down emissions, including the development of new hydrogen production plants at Stanlow, forming a central part of the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster.

The scheme (which is subject to planning approval) comprises the decommissioning of three existing furnaces and their replacement with a single, highly efficient furnace that is currently being fabricated in Thailand.

The new furnace will lower carbon emissions due to gas-only firing and new burners that emit lower levels of nitrogen oxide (NO_x). Future-proofed to enable the use of sustainable fuel types in the future such as hydrogen, it will be the first facility of its kind based at a UK refinery. The new furnace has an improved energy efficiency of 4% compared to existing furnaces, which will save 16,600 t/y of CO₂, as well as reducing ongoing maintenance costs, reports Essar.

Set to be installed in 2022, the furnace will become fully operational in 2023. From 2026 onwards it will be fuelled by hydrogen produced at Stanlow as part of the HyNet North West decarbonisation cluster, further reducing Stanlow’s CO₂ emissions by 11%. Essar’s new Vertex Hydrogen joint venture will develop what is claimed will be the world’s first and largest blue hydrogen production plant, at Stanlow.  Hydrogen will be used at the site and will be distributed to industrial businesses in the region to support their own transition to low carbon. 

Deepak Maheshwari, Chief Executive Officer at Essar Oil UK, comments: ‘We have hugely ambitious plans for Stanlow and are committed to making it the UK’s first low carbon refinery.’

Essar’s Stanlow refinery currently supplies 16% of the UK’s road transport fuels.