Essar forms JV for 1GW blue hydrogen project
Oil and gas firm forms joint venture with Progressive Energy for blue hydrogen project that will form part of UK’s Hynet cluster
Oil and gas firm Essar has launched a joint venture with technology company Progressive Energy to build a hydrogen hub at the Stanlow manufacturing complex in northwest England. The two firms have formed a joint venture, called Vertex Hydrogen, to pursue the venture. The blue hydrogen facility will form part of the Hynet low-carbon cluster and aims to produce a total of 1GW/yr of hydrogen across two units from 2026. Waste fuel gases from Essar’s complex will be combined with natural gas as feedstocks for steam methane reforming, with carbon dioxide captured and stored underground offshore in Liverpool Bay by Hynet partner Italy’s Eni. “Essar is massively committed to investing in the energ
Also in this section
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
2 February 2026
As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies
28 January 2026
The development of hydrogen’s distribution system must speed up if the industry is to stand any chance of grabbing a meaningful slice of the low-carbon energy market






