Essar Leads Green Revolution: UK's First Decarbonised Refinery

Essar Group is transforming the UK's Stanlow refinery into the world's first decarbonised green refinery by utilizing blue hydrogen to cut carbon emissions by 95%. The initiative forms part of Essar's wider strategy to engage in sustainable projects across various sectors.

Essar Group is set to revolutionize the energy sector by converting the UK's Stanlow refinery into the world's first decarbonised green refinery. This ground-breaking transformation involves the use of blue hydrogen to meet the heating and power needs of the unit, significantly reducing carbon emissions by 95%, a senior official revealed on Tuesday.

At the Financial Times' Energy Transition Summit India, Prashant Ruia, the director of Essar Capital, outlined the Essar Energy Transition's HyNet project. In its initial phase, the project aims to produce 350 megawatts of blue hydrogen, followed by expanding to 1 gigawatt in its second phase. Blue hydrogen is generated by using natural gas and capturing, then permanently storing the carbon emitted during the process.

This initiative not only aims to reduce Essar's carbon footprint but also holds financial benefits by eliminating carbon tax liabilities. Beyond the UK, Essar's sustainability strategy includes constructing a green steel plant in Saudi Arabia and developing an LNG and electric ecosystem to decarbonise transportation, focusing especially on long-haul heavy trucks.

(With inputs from agencies.)