Indian conglomerate Essar Group on August 4, 2026, unveiled a GBP 4.3 billion energy transition investment pipeline for its Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, positioning the UK refinery as a low-carbon hydrogen and CCS hub.
Anchored By EET Fuels
The plan is led by Essar Energy Transition (EET) and its EET Fuels operating unit, which took over the site in 2011 and rebranded it in 2024. Programmes span blue hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen-ready refinery furnaces and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — collectively aimed at cutting Stanlow's direct emissions by up to 95%. More than EUR 1 billion of projects are near a Final Investment Decision.
Hydrogen First
Central to the pitch is large-scale hydrogen production paired with CCS infrastructure that would feed both the refinery and neighbouring industrial off-takers on Merseyside. Essar has already commissioned the UK's first hydrogen-ready refinery furnace following a EUR 70.9 million investment, and is preparing to expand SAF capacity that could serve UK and European airlines.
Wider Push
Stanlow's blueprint mirrors moves elsewhere in Essar's hydrogen and low-carbon logistics ecosystem, including partnerships around Doosan Fuel Cell's SOFC exports and nuclear-adjacent hydrogen use cases. Full delivery of the pipeline runs through 2035.
Reporting based on coverage from Hydrogen Fuel News, energynews.pro, Bloomberg and Fuel Cells Works.