EET Fuels has revealed images of plans for Europe’s first hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant at its Stanlow oil refinery, with the aim of completing construction by 2027.
Confirming the launch of the project, EET Fuels said investment in the EET Hydrogen Power plant would support its ambition for the Stanlow facility to become the lowest-carbon process refinery in the world.
The company said it also aims to be the “leading low-carbon hydrogen producer” in the UK, providing cleaner energy to other industrial users in the region in support of their decarbonisation targets.
© Supplied by Essar Energy TransitThe combined heat and power plant (CHP) will be developed in two phases to reach an eventual capacity of 125MW power with 6,000 tonnes per day of steam.
Hydrogen gas will replace hydrocarbons as a fuel for the plant, delivering a reduction of 740,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum, according to EET Fuels.
The new plant will replace the existing boiler units at Stanlow, which currently generate approximately 50MW of power for the refinery operations.
EET said the hydrogen CHP is integral to its decarbonisation plans at Stanlow, with the company aiming to cut emissions by 95% by 2030 to become the world’s lowest-carbon refinery.
The project forms part of the wider HyNet decarbonisation cluster, which plans to capture CO2 from industrial processes for offshore storage in the Irish Sea.
EET said it is investing $3 billion (£2.3 billion) in energy transition initiatives in the North West of England.
‘Bold ambitions’ for Stanlow decarbonisation
Speaking to Energy Voice in June, EET Fuels head of low carbon transition, Marcos Matijasevich, said the EET hydrogen plant would make it the country’s “first producer of low-carbon power using hydrogen as the source of fuel, feeding part of the electricity generated into the national power grid”.
“We are reaching FID and ordering equipment for the CHP project later this year. The plant is being designed with first-of-a-kind hydrogen-ready turbines – no one in Europe has this type of equipment operating at commercial scale today, so we will be the first in Europe and globally,” said Matijasevich.
EET Hydrogen Power chief executive Rob Wallace said the project would create “significant benefit” by contributing to regional emissions reduction targets.
“We have bold ambitions for Stanlow to become a low-carbon transition hub at the centre of the HyNet Industrial Cluster,” Mr Wallace said.
EET managing partner Tony Fountain said the launch of EET Hydrogen Power shows the progress the company is making in putting 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,” Mr Fountain said.
