Stanlow Terminals Ltd (Stanlow Terminals is part of Essar Energy), the UK’s largest independent bulk liquid storage provider has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Eni UK Ltd (Eni UK), the UK subsidiary of global energy company Eni, to explore the development of carbon dioxide (CO2) collection, shipping, and storage at the Stanlow Terminal location and then delivering the received CO2 into Eni UK’s carbon transport and storage infrastructures currently being developed in the NW region of the UK.

Stanlow Terminals and Eni UK will evaluate opportunities to establish an open-access CO2 transport and storage terminal which will be capable of receiving, gathering and storing CO2 from industrial emitters and other sources via shipping from dispersed locations. The objective is to ultimately connect multiple emitters with Eni UK’s licenced storage location through an open access system, facilitating the future sequestration of substantial volumes of CO2.

Developing CO2 ship transportation will play a significant role in the expansion of CCS infrastructure, by offering feasible and flexible routes between sources and storage sites. The infrastructure would provide many more industrial companies the opportunity to transport captured CO2 for storage in depleted gas fields.

The agreement follows Stanlow Terminal’s announcement of plans to also develop open access green ammonia facilities on the River Mersey, supporting the ambition of Essar Energy Transition to become Europe’s leading integrated energy transition hub.

Stanlow Terminals is part of Essar Energy Transition (“EET”). Launched in February 2023, EET is investing US$3.6 billion in developing a range of low carbon energy transition projects over the next five years, of which US$2.4 billion will be invested at its sites in the North West of England.

EET will include Essar Oil UK, the company’s refining and marketing business in North West England; Vertex Hydrogen, which is developing 1 gigawatt (GW) of blue hydrogen for the UK market, with follow-on capacity set to reach 3.8GW; EET Hydrogen India, which is developing 1 GW of green ammonia in India, targeted at UK and international markets; Stanlow Terminals Ltd, which is developing enabling storage and pipeline infrastructure; and EET Biofuels, which is investing in developing 1 MT of low carbon biofuels. EET’s investment programme will play a major role in accelerating the UK’s low carbon transformation, supporting the government’s decarbonisation policy and creating highly skilled employment opportunities at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse economy.

Eni UK is leading the development of carbon dioxide transport and storage for the HyNet North West consortium in the North West of the UK, which will transform one of the country’s most energy intensive industrial districts into the first low-carbon industrial cluster in the world. Eni UK has developed extensive experience in reservoir management over many decades and intends to apply its skills to repurpose part of its existing upstream assets to store carbon dioxide in depleted fields in Liverpool Bay, helping the UK to achieve its net zero targets by decarbonising industrial activities in the region quickly and at a competitive cost.

About Stanlow Terminals Limited

Stanlow Terminals is the largest independent bulk liquid storage business in the UK, with 3 million cubic metres of capacity. Located on the Mersey Estuary within the Port of Liverpool we are a critical piece of national infrastructure. A port asset, with eight jetties and deep water facilities, Stanlow Terminals offers flexible and efficient import and export of bulk liquids. Our multi-modal distribution network includes Europe’s largest road terminal, rail connectivity, excellent links to the UK’s motorway network and pipeline connections to deliver energy products into the UK. Stanlow Terminals offers unrivalled connectivity for our customers.

About Essar Global Fund Limited

Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL) is the holding company of Essar Group, and will be the majority ultimate holding company of Essar Energy Transition. EGFL is a global investor which owns a number of world-class assets diversified across the core sectors of energy (comprising exploration and production, refining and marketing, and power businesses), infrastructure and & logistics (comprising ports, Stanlow Terminals and projects), metals and mining, technology and retail (comprising technology solutions and digital retail platforms). EGFL invests with a sense of active ownership, which involves direct engagement with the management of the respective businesses. Its portfolio companies have aggregate revenues of around US$15 billion and employ over 7,000 people.

About Essar in the UK

Essar is a leading UK-focused downstream energy company whose main asset is the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, one of the most advanced refineries in Europe situated close to the major cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Stanlow has 800 employees, and is a key strategic national asset, annually producing over 16% of the UK’s road transport fuels, while playing a key role in Britain’s broader petrochemical industry.

Since acquiring Stanlow in 2011, Essar has invested $1 billion in margin improvement and other efficiency initiatives to ensure the refinery remains competitive in a rapidly changing market. The company is a major supplier in the North West and beyond, with customers including most of the major retail brands operated by international oil companies and supermarkets, Manchester Airport, leading commercial airlines and the region’s trains and buses.

Essar in the UK is committed to playing a key role in the decarbonisation of the UK economy, with ambitious plans to develop the UK’s leading energy transition hub at its Stanlow site in the North West of England. Essar’s plans will see the site and the surrounding North West region of England become one of the leading post-carbon industrial clusters in Europe, with major investments across a range of hydrogen production (blue and green), decarbonisation, biofuels (road and aviation), and infrastructure projects. These include the construction of two new low carbon hydrogen production units on site by Vertex Hydrogen, as part of HyNet. Vertex, which is majority owned by Essar, is developing 1 gigawatt (GW) of blue hydrogen for the UK market, with follow on capacity planned to reach 3.8GW (nearly 40% of the UK government’s new target of 10GW of low carbon hydrogen for power, transport, industry and homes by 2030).

About Eni UK

Eni UK is part of Eni, an integrated energy company with over 30.000 employees in 62 countries around the world. Eni launched a new strategy in 2020, which it accelerated in subsequent years, with the aim of achieving the target of zero net emissions by 2050 and providing a variety of fully decarbonised products, combining environmental and financial sustainability, with a strong focus on technological leadership built on years of research and innovation.

About Eni

Eni is an integrated energy company employing more than 34.000 people in 69 countries in the world. Eni engages in oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production, as well as in the supply, trading and shipping of natural gas, LNG, electricity and fuels. Through refineries and chemical plants, Eni processes crude oil and other oil-based feedstock to produce fuels, lubricants and chemical products that are supplied to wholesalers or through retail networks or distributors.