(Bloomberg) -- Essar Energy Transition, operator of the Stanlow oil refinery in northwest England, plans to build Europe’s first hydrogen-ready power plant at the site.
The combined heat and power plant is scheduled for completion in 2027, one of a number of initiatives that Stanlow is working on to cut its emissions by 95% by 2030, the company said in a statement. The final investment decision is expected later this year.
Stanlow is at the center of a regional decarbonization cluster known as Hynet, which aims to supply cleaner hydrogen both to the refinery and industries in the region. At the center of the plans is a separate hydrogen production plant that will incorporate carbon capture technology and make what’s known as blue hydrogen.
That hydrogen plant is scheduled to start operating by 2028 or 2029, Managing Partner Tony Fountain said by phone last week. It will supply hydrogen both to the combined heat and power plant and the oil refinery. A hydrogen-ready furnace linked to the crude-processing unit will be connected in the first quarter of next year.
The power plant will run on other fuels until the hydrogen production facility on the site starts operating.
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