Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Essar Advances £4.3 Billion Stanlow Low-Carbon Transformation Plan
Essar wants to change the Stanlow refinery in the United Kingdom so it produces fuel with much less pollution.
The company plans to spend £4.3 billion on this change.
Its projects include making low-carbon hydrogen, capturing carbon dioxide and using more electricity and cleaner heat.
Essar says the refinery could cut emissions by up to 95% by the 2030s.
A hydrogen plant could cost about £1.5 billion and have a capacity of 350MW.
Essar is also working on a project to make sustainable airplane fuel.
Stanlow is important because it supplies a large share of the United Kingdom’s transport and jet fuel.
The company says government policies and support will affect whether the full plan moves forward.
Essar is advancing a £4.3 billion programme to transform Stanlow into what it calls the world’s first low-carbon process refinery.
The plan includes a 350MW low-carbon hydrogen plant costing about £1.5 billion, alongside carbon capture, electrification, low-carbon heat and efficiency upgrades.
Essar is developing a Methanol-to-Jet project targeting about 200,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel annually in the early 2030s.
The company says Stanlow supplies around 20% of UK transport fuels and 12.5% of the country’s jet fuel demand.
Essar has reduced Stanlow’s emissions by 22% since 2011 and identifies policy uncertainty, carbon storage and overseas competition as investment risks.
- Who
- Essar, with comments attributed to Maheshwari, is leading the programme.
- What
- A £4.3 billion plan is being developed to decarbonize and modernize the Stanlow refinery, including hydrogen, carbon capture and sustainable aviation fuel projects.
- When
- The article does not specify a date for the final investment decision; the sustainable aviation fuel target is for the early 2030s.
- Where
- The programme is centered on the Stanlow refinery in the United Kingdom and forms part of the HyNet North West cluster.
- Why
- Essar aims to reduce Stanlow’s emissions by up to 95% by the 2030s while supporting domestic refining capacity and UK energy security.
- Total programme
- £4.3 billion
- Hydrogen project
- A 350MW low-carbon hydrogen plant requiring about £1.5 billion of investment
- Emissions target
- Up to 95% reduction by the 2030s
- Current emissions reduction
- 22% reduction at Stanlow since Essar acquired it in 2011
- Refining role
- Capacity equivalent to around 25% of UK refining requirements
- Fuel supply
- Around 20% of UK transport fuels and 12.5% of total UK jet fuel demand
- Sustainable aviation fuel
- Methanol-to-Jet project targeting about 200,000 tonnes annually in the early 2030s