Essar Group has outlined plans to invest £4.3bn ($5.79bn) in low-carbon energy projects at its Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in the UK with aims to complete the investment by 2035.
The oil refining complex is located in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
According to the Indian conglomerate, over £1bn of this investment is approaching a final investment decision. The investment will form part of a move to transform the oil refinery into an energy transition hub with a focus on hydrogen production.
Owned and operated by its wholly owned division, Essar Energy Transition Fuels, the Stanlow site has been under Essar’s ownership since 2011. The group says it has already invested £1bn in modernising the facility over the past 15 years.
Enhancements have included adapting the refinery to a single-train operation to improve efficiency, increasing the variety of crude processed, and upgrading the catalytic cracker.
Recent developments at the site include the completion of a £100m refinery turnaround, which Essar says has increased throughput by approximately 8%. The company also reports the commissioning of the UK’s first hydrogen-ready refinery furnace, following an investment of £70.9m.
Plans for the future include large-scale production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In May 2026, the company completed the pre-front end engineering design stage for what it says will become one of the UK’s largest advanced SAF hubs.
The planned Stanlow Methanol to Jet (MtJ) project is expected to use around 550,000t per annum of renewable e-methanol and bio-methanol feedstock, producing over 200,000t of advanced SAF annually.
Essar says its current investment pipeline will play a role in supporting the UK government’s decarbonisation policies and providing highly skilled jobs in the North West. The company cites independent analysis indicating Stanlow supports around 5,000 UK jobs, with the average employee salary reportedly double the national average and supply chain spending of £426m.
In addition to energy initiatives, Essar is considering the development of commercial data centres at the Stanlow site, potentially powered by on-site hydrogen-ready generation.
Essar Energy Transition chairman Prashant Ruia said: “We are proud to mark 15 years since acquiring Stanlow. It remains a privilege to steward this critical asset, and we remain committed to its future.
“Our £4.3bn investment pipeline represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK, supporting the country’s energy transition, generating massive long-term economic value, and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs built on the site’s proud industrial heritage.”
