Essar Energy Transition (EET), which plans to create the world’s leading low-carbon process refinery, has completed the Pre-Front End Engineering Design (Pre-FEED) stage for one of the UK’s largest advanced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production hubs.
Integrated within the company’s Stanlow refinery’s infrastructure, the planned Stanlow Methanol to Jet (MtJ) project will produce more than 200,000 tonnes per annum of advanced SAF, using approximately 550,000 tonnes per annum of renewable e-methanol and bio-methanol feedstock.
Co-locating the MtJ facility with the Stanlow refinery enables on-site blending of the SAF with the Essar Energy Transition Fuels conventional jet fuel volumes. Utilising the existing export infrastructure, including access to the Manchester Jet, Midlands and UKOP pipeline systems as well as existing road and marine distribution routes, the SAF can be supplied directly to the UK aviation sector, including major UK airports and airlines.
Renewable e-methanol and bio-methanol will be sourced from a range of domestic and international supply sources. Leveraging existing import and storage capabilities provided by Stanlow Terminals reduces project capital expenditure, whilst enabling access to the most competitive, low cost and low-carbon-intensity methanol feedstocks.
Part funded (with an up to Euro 2.5 million grant) through the third window of the UK Government’s Department for Transport’s (DFT) Advanced Fuel Fund (AFF), the Pre-FEED stage was completed in partnership with Genesis, our Pre-FEED Contractor. The Pre-FEED included technical and commercial evaluations of the project, addressing critical aspects such as site selection, MtJ technology readiness, integration with refinery facilities, carbon intensity performance and environmental compliance.
The Pre-FEED phase reconfirmed that the Stanlow MtJ project is a highly credible advanced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) opportunity. The assessment demonstrated that the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex is an optimal location with sufficient capacity to accommodate all facility requirements, while also confirming that there are no material barriers related to permitting and regulatory approvals. The study further highlighted strong market interest in renewable methanol supply and identified meaningful integration opportunities that could reduce both project costs and carbon intensity. In addition, Essar Energy Transition Fuels reaffirmed its commitment to support the full SAF volumes offtake in line with anticipated UK SAF Mandate requirements.
The successful conclusion of the Pre-FEED study enables Essar Energy Transition to continue the development of this landmark project. The project is now targeting participation in the UK SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM) process. The project’s scale, refinery integration, secure logistics, and credible offtake structure will ensure deliverable SAF capacity capable of underpinning long-term mandate compliance.
Front-end engineering design (FEED) is planned for later this year and Final Investment Decision (FID) by the start of 2028. Collectively, these outcomes confirm the Stanlow Mt.J project has transitioned from concept to a delivery-ready, investment-grade SAF project.
This milestone demonstrates the strong momentum of Essar Energy Transition’s future fuels ambitions. The Stanlow MtJ project is a crucial component of Essar Energy Transition’s overall multi-billion-dollar investment programme into energy transition initiatives across the North West of England, supporting the growth of high skilled employment in the North West.
Essar Energy Transition’s development of a North West SAF production hub, backed by a robust regulatory regime, represents a vital opportunity for UK fuel resilience and security, and industrial growth. The UK’s SAF Mandate sets an obligation of 22 percent of total jet fuel by 2040 and the proposed MtJ facility will play a decisive role in meeting this need. This plant will ensure Essar Energy Transition can meet its own SAF obligations in the 2030s while providing critical spare capacity to decarbonise the broader UK and European aviation sectors.
Ruth Herbert, Managing Director and Chief Business Development Officer, Essar Energy Transition, said, “Completing Pre-FEED confirms that Stanlow MtJ is a leading UK SAF project; it is a fully integrated, delivery-ready solution built for scale. By embedding advanced SAF production directly within a large-scale refinery system, with existing blending, logistics and offtake in place, we have fundamentally reduced risk, cost and complexity. As the UK moves from ambition to obligation under the SAF Mandate, projects that can deliver reliably, competitively and at scale will matter most, and Stanlow MtJ has been deliberately designed to do exactly that”
Helen Coleman, Managing Director, Genesis, added, “We are proud to have played an integral role in the successful completion of this significant Pre-FEED study. By leveraging our best-in-class technical and advisory capabilities, we delivered a robust and forward-looking assessment that has reaffirmed the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex as a highly credible location for a large-scale Mt.J SAF project. This work has enabled Essar Energy Transition to move forward with confidence as the project progresses toward FEED and the next phase of development.
