Stanlow industrial complex
Essar to install hydrogen-ready furnace at Stanlow refinery
Oil and gas company spends $61mn on UK’s first 100pc hydrogen-fuelled refinery furnace at industrial complex in northeast England
Oil and gas company Essar is investing £45mn ($61mn) in the UK’s first refinery-based furnace capable of running on 100pc hydrogen. Installation of the furnace at the Stanlow refining complex in northwest England is subject to planning approval but is expected to start this year, with full operation scheduled for 2023. The furnace will initially run on natural gas but, from 2026, will source its fuel from a blue hydrogen plant under development at Stanlow by Vertex Hydrogen, a joint venture between Essar and technology company Progressive Energy. The blue hydrogen plant is part of a £1bn investment by Essar over the next five years and forms a central element of the Hynet North West decarbon
Also in this section
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
