Plans for two hydrogen production plans which could attract £750m of investment to the region have been unveiled by the owner of Stanlow Refinery.
Essar Oil (UK) is seeking the approval of Cheshire West and Chester Council to construct the plants at the site in Ellesmere Port.
The company said the plants would form a "central pillar" of the landmark ‘HyNet North West’ initiative, a low carbon energy project that aims to position the region at the "leading edge" of the UK’s transition to net zero.
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If approved, construction work is scheduled to begin on site by the end of 2022, with hydrogen production set to commence by the mid-2020s.
Essar chief executive Deepak Maheshwari said: "Essar is committed to delivering on its transition to low carbon operations.
"The planned evolution of our Stanlow Refinery is set to power the UK’s low carbon revolution for years to come, creating jobs and helping local communities flourish."
The application will request full planning permission for the majority of the first phase of the development, comprising the first process plant capable of producing 350MWth of high purity low carbon hydrogen.
It will also seek outline permission for elements of a supporting plant for phase one, plus a second hydrogen production plant with a capacity of 700MWth of hydrogen and supporting plant.
In the following years, follow on capacity growth is planned to reach 80% of the Government’s new target of 5GW of low carbon hydrogen for power, transport, industry and homes by 2030.
