Essar Group is advancing a £4.3-billion investment pipeline at its Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in the UK, as it plans to turn the refinery into an energy-transition hub and assess commercial data-centre development powered by onsite hydrogen-ready generation.
The announcement comes as Essar marks 15 years of ownership of Stanlow, acquired in 2011. The group has invested £1 billion in modernising the refinery, including converting the site into a more efficient single-train operation, widening the range of crude grades processed and upgrading its catalytic cracker.
Essar Energy Transition Fuels, the group’s wholly owned division operating the complex, recently completed a £100-million, or $130-million, refinery turnaround that raised throughput by about 8%. It also commissioned the UK’s first hydrogen-ready refinery furnace after an investment of £70.9 million, or $100 million.
The company said hydrogen production would be central to the next phase of Stanlow’s development. It is also evaluating the use of the site’s extensive land for next-generation commercial data centres that could receive power directly from hydrogen-ready generation.
The investment programme will run until 2035 and is aimed at developing low-carbon energy-transition projects in the UK. Essar is simultaneously planning a major expansion of its retail network, targeting 800 new locations supplied directly from the refinery.
Stanlow currently supports around 5,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the UK. Employees earn average salaries estimated at twice the national average, while the complex spends £426 million through its UK supply chain, according to independent analysis cited by the company.
“Our £4.3 billion investment pipeline represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK, supporting the country’s energy transition, generating massive long-term economic value, and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs built on the site’s proud industrial heritage,” Prashant Ruia, chairman of Essar Energy Transition, said.
Ruia said Essar remained committed to Stanlow’s future as the company seeks to combine its existing refining capability with new low-carbon industries now.