The Government has handed a £2.5 million grant to ESSAR Energy Transitions (EET) to develop its sustainable fuel hub in Stanlow.
For people investment planning in Cheshire’s green economy, the site is one of the most advanced in the UK. Work is under way on developing the existing refinery with hydrogen and carbon capture facilities. It is hoped it will turn into one of the least carbon intensive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facilities in the UK.
The grant is a boost to EET, whose Methanol-to-Jet (MtJ) production hub has been designed to produce large volumes of renewable bio-methanol and e-methanol. It will be sourced both in the UK and from sister company Essar Future Energies – currently engaged in a similar e-methanol project in India.
The development of the SAF production hub comes at a crucial time for the industry, with rules mandating UK aviation to meet net zero emissions targets by 2050. The hub has the potential to become one of the lowest carbon intensive facilities in the country, with access to the existing oil pipeline system across the North West and Midlands. It is also well connected to road and marine distribution routes that supply regions across the UK. There is, therefore, a rich commercial opportunity for EET, which already services Manchester International and nine other British airports.
Stanlow, in Ellesmere Port, is over 100 years old, having made its name as an oil refinery. However, in recent years it has been moving away from fossil fuels to more sustainable ‘Jet Zero’ energy alternatives.
