Essar Group is preparing a £4.3bn ($5.77bn) investment at its Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in the UK, focused on low-carbon energy projects and possible data centre development by 2035.  

The announcement comes 15 years after Essar acquired Stanlow in 2011. 

Over that period, the company said it has put £1bn into modernising the refinery, including moving to a single-train configuration, broadening the range of crude grades it can process, and upgrading the catalytic cracker. 

More than £1bn of the new investment pipeline is nearing final investment decision, according to Essar, as the company works to convert Stanlow into an energy transition hub.  

Hydrogen production sits at the core of these plans.  

Essar is also examining whether the site could host commercial data centres, drawing power from onsite hydrogen-ready generation. 

Essar energy transition chairman Prashant Ruia said: “We are proud to mark 15 years since acquiring Stanlow.  It remains a privilege to steward this critical asset, and we remain committed to its future.” 

Stanlow is owned and run by Essar Energy Transition Fuels, a wholly owned arm of Essar Group. 

The company has also finished a £100m turnaround at the refinery, which it said lifted throughput by roughly 8%.  

Separately, it brought into operation what it described as the UK's first hydrogen-ready refinery furnace, following a £70.9m outlay. 

On the retail side, Essar is expanding its UK network and aims to supply 800 new fuel sites directly from the refinery. 

According to the company, the Stanlow investment programme is designed to establish the site as a low-carbon energy transition hub while also backing growth in retail fuel supply and possible data centre development. 

“Our £4.3bn investment pipeline represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK, supporting the country’s energy transition, generating massive long-term economic value, and creating thousands of highly skilled jobs built on the site’s proud industrial heritage”, Prashant added.