Essar’s Vertex to supply 1,000 MW hydrogen to UK industries

NEW DELHI: Vertex Hydrogen, a joint venture of Essar Oil UK promoted by the Mumbai-based Ruia familyand Progressive Energy, has signed agreements to supply over 1,000 MW of low-carbon hydrogen to leading industrial names in the region.

The quantity of supply is similar amount of energy powering a major city like Liverpool and secures the entire initial hydrogen production capacity of Vertex, the company said on Thursday.

Vertex Hydrogen is developing the UK’s first large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production hub at Essar’s site in Ellesmere Port.

The project will capture some 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 per annum to be stored by the UK’s HyNet project to reduce more than 10% of the region’s industrial emissions - the equivalent to taking 750,000 cars off the roads.

The Project will see over £2 billion investments in the hydrogen plant and associated regional hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure – securing and growing vital jobs in the region, the company said.

“This offtake agreement and other initiatives are continuing examples of us taking clear actions to deliver our strategic goals. We are proud to be a leader in the region and the UK more broadly in industrial decarbonisation,” the company statement quoted Essar Oil UK CEO Deepak Maheshwari as saying.

The demand for hydrogen comes from global businesses operating in the region looking to become low-carbon operations in a number of key sectors by switching their current high carbon fuels.

These consumers are substantial direct and indirect contributors to the 340,000 people employed in manufacturing in the North West. It also includes innovators in the sustainable aviation fuels, glass and cement industries.