Energy: Essar to set up Europe’s first hydrogen-ready power plant in the UK
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In a significant development in the energy sector, Essar Energy Transition (EET) on Friday announced the setting up of Europe’s first hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant (CHP) at its Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port in the United Kingdom.
The power plant is a key part of EET’s overall USD 3 billion energy transition initiatives in the North West of England.
EET aims to complete the project in 2027, it said in a statement.
The investment will support EET Fuels’ plans to become the lowest carbon process refinery, globally, and EET Hydrogen’s ambition to become the leading low-carbon hydrogen producer in the UK. It will also provide low-carbon power to other industrial users in the region to support their decarbonization targets.
EET Hydrogen Power will become an independent vertical under EET.
The key project will be developed over two phases to reach a capacity of 125 MW and reduce 740,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.
The new plant will replace Stanlow’s existing boiler units, which generate around 50MW of power for the refinery operations. The plant is integral to the decarbonization of operations at EET Fuels’ Stanlow refinery, which plans to cut total emissions by 95 percent by 2030, to become the world’s lowest carbon refinery.
Tony Fountain, Managing Partner of EET, said: “Launching EET Hydrogen Power shows the progress that EET is making in delivering against its commitment to put the UK at the forefront of low-carbon energy. EET Hydrogen Power helps bring this commitment to life and demonstrates our intention to globally showcase the pathway to decarbonizing vital high-emitting industries.
