Essar Energy Transitions (EET) has been awarded £2.5m from the government to develop its plans for one of the UK's largest advanced sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) production hubs at Stanlow.
EET plans to establish a Methanol-to-Jet (MtJ) production hub producing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of renewable e-methanol and bio-methanol sourced in the UK and internationally, including from sister company Essar Future Energies – who are developing an e-methanol project in Gujarat, India.
The Stanlow plant’s location has the advantage of existing import infrastructure, which EET says enables it to access the most competitive, low cost and low carbon intensity methanol feedstocks.
Existing refinery processing facilities, combined with low-carbon power, hydrogen and carbon capture facilities under development, mean that it could develop into one of the lowest carbon intensive SAF production facilities in the UK.
The fuel will then use EET’s established UK jet export infrastructure – including the Manchester Jet, Midlands, and UKOP oil pipeline systems – as well as existing road and marine distribution routes to supply regions across the country.
The development of an SAF production hub represents a significant commercial opportunity for EET.
The targets are designed to support the UK’s Jet Zero Strategy to achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050.
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