First all-hydrogen power plant in Europe by 2027

ESSAR Energy Transition announced last Friday (12) its plans to build Europe’s first 100 per cent hydrogen-fuelled power plant at its Stanlow refinery in the UK by 2027.

Hydrogen-fuelled power is essential for the decarbonisation of industry and will help the UK reduce its emissions in line with government targets.

Without providing specific investment details, the company aims to complete construction by 2027. The plant will be located at EET Fuels’ Stanlow refinery.

“The investment will support EET Fuels’ ambition to become the lowest carbon process refinery globally and EET Hydrogen’s goal to become the leading low carbon hydrogen producer in the UK. It will also provide low carbon power to other industrial users in the region to support their decarbonisation targets. EET Hydrogen Power will become an independent vertical under EET,” the company said.

EET Hydrogen Power will be developed in two phases to reach a capacity of 125 MW of power with 6,000 tonnes per day of steam, with hydrogen replacing hydrocarbons to deliver a reduction of 740,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.

The new plant will replace Stanlow’s existing boiler units, which currently generate about 50 MW of power for refinery operations. The plant is integral to the decarbonisation of operations at EET Fuels’ Stanlow refinery, which plans to cut total emissions by 95 per cent by 2030, becoming the world’s lowest carbon refinery.

“The investment into building Europe’s first hydrogen-ready power plant is a key part of EET’s overall $3 billion (£2.3bn) of energy transition initiatives in the North West of England,” the statement added.

EET includes EET Hydrogen Power, EET Fuels (the owner of the Stanlow Refinery), EET Hydrogen (developing 1.35+ gigawatt (GW) of blue and green hydrogen capacity for the UK market, with follow-on capacity ambition of 4GW), and Stanlow Terminals Ltd, the UK’s largest independent bulk liquid storage terminal (developing transport and storage infrastructure for biofuels and new energies).

Tony Fountain, managing partner of Essar Energy Transition, said, “Launching EET Hydrogen Power shows the progress that Essar Energy Transition is making in delivering its commitment to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon energy. EET Hydrogen Power helps bring this commitment to life and demonstrates our intention to globally showcase the pathway to decarbonising vital high-emitting industries.”

Rob Wallace, chief executive officer of EET Hydrogen Power, added, “We have bold ambitions for Stanlow to become a low carbon transition hub at the centre of the HyNet Industrial Cluster.”

EET Hydrogen Power is a key infrastructure project supporting the decarbonisation plans of the wider HyNet industrial cluster and forming a blueprint for future industrial and power decarbonisation. This project will significantly contribute to regional emissions reduction targets, Wallace said.