Essar Oil (UK) Ltd yesterday successfully completed the delivery of a giant steel regenerator head to the Stanlow Refinery. This is for a key petrol-producing unit as part of a planned £23 million refurbishment project.
The 450-tonne head for Stanlow’s flagship residue catalytic cracking unit — the largest of its kind in Europe — became the biggest load seen on the M53 motorway in over a quarter of a century as it made the four mile journey from Ellesmere Port Docks in just over six hours.

The residue catalytic cracking unit, which is vital to Stanlow’s annual production of three billion liters of petrol, is being prepared for a major refurbishment later this year, of which the replacement of the giant head is a key element. It will give the refinery unit another 25 years of life.

Commenting on the development, Volker Schultz, Chief Executive Officer, Essar Oil (UK) Ltd, said: “Moving a load of this size is a complex technical operation and it is a credit to all the teams involved that it was completed safely and ahead of schedule. The project represents a significant multi-million pound investment and is further proof of our determination to ensure Essar Oil UK is sustainably profitable and growing moving forward. The Stanlow refinery is a major economic driver in the region and this is a clear demonstration of our confidence in its future growth.”

See the site of the Stanlow Refinery