en.Wedoany.com Reported - Essar Group has announced plans to invest £4.3 billion ($5.79 billion) to advance low-carbon energy projects at its Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in the UK, targeting completion of the investment by 2035.
The facility is located in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Essar stated that over £1 billion of the investment portfolio is nearing a final investment decision, with the core focus being the transformation of the refinery into an energy transition hub centered on hydrogen production.
The site is owned and operated by Essar Energy Transition Fuels, a wholly owned division of Essar, and has been part of the Essar Group since 2011. The group said it has invested £1 billion over the past 15 years to modernize the facility, including switching the refinery to single-train operation for improved efficiency, expanding the range of crude oils processed, and upgrading the catalytic cracking unit.
Regarding recent modernization progress, Essar completed a £100 million refinery overhaul, boosting capacity by approximately 8%; additionally, following an investment of £70.9 million, the UK's first hydrogen-ready refinery furnace has been commissioned at the site.
Future plans include scaling up production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In May 2026, the company completed the pre-front-end engineering design phase for a project that is said to create one of the UK's largest advanced SAF hubs. The planned Stanlow methanol-to-jet (MtJ) project is expected to consume approximately 550,000 tonnes of renewable e-methanol and bio-methanol feedstock annually, producing over 200,000 tonnes of advanced SAF per year.
Essar stated that these investments will support the UK government's decarbonization policies and create high-skilled jobs in the Northwest region. Citing independent analysis, Stanlow supports approximately 5,000 jobs in the UK, with average employee wages around twice the national average and supply chain spending reaching £426 million.
Beyond energy projects, Essar is also considering developing commercial data centers at the Stanlow site, with power potentially supplied by on-site hydrogen-ready power generation facilities.
Prashant Ruia, Chairman of Essar Energy Transition, said the group is proud of 15 years of ownership of Stanlow and remains committed to the future development of this key asset. He noted that the £4.3 billion investment portfolio represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK, supporting the country's energy transition, generating long-term economic value, and creating thousands of high-skilled jobs built on the site's industrial heritage.
