Sarah Townsend
The company has said it is fully committed to its operations at the Ellesmere Port oil refinery, including plans to decarbonise its activities and produce sustainable fuel there, despite reports that the company is nearing collapse.
Essar Oil UK, which bought the 2,000-acre Stanlow Oil Refinery at the Cheshire enterprise zone from Shell in 2011, has been in urgent discussions for weeks over efforts to stabilise its finances, Sky News reported on Friday.
Whitehall officials have reportedly been warned of the company’s declining financial position amid fears it might be close to collapse. Further talks are due to be held this week.
Subscription Notification
We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. Please update your billing details here
Please update your billing information
The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your subscription.
Your subscription will end shortly
Please update your billing details here to continue enjoying your access to the most informative and considered journalism in the UK.
Ellesmere Port: Oil refinery strengthens its leadership team | Chester and District Standard chesterstandard.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chesterstandard.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Future of Stanlow oil refinery up in the air
The oil refinery, which is near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, used to be owned by Shell. (Getty Images)
The future of the Stanlow oil refinery in Cheshire was up in the air last night after it emerged that it was in talks over its finances.
The plant, which supplies about 16 per cent of the UK’s road fuel and employs around 900 people, is owned by Indian multinational Essar.
Sky News first reported that the refinery had lined up vital meetings with Whitehall officials next week.
It is understood that a fall in demand for fuel due to coronavirus lockdowns has hurt the firm’s margins.
New and revised entries Bosnia s Brod refinery has launched a solar power station, according to owner Zarubezhneft. The refinery suspended operations in 2019 for an upgrade and to prepare for the use of natural gas. A pipeline was being built to supply the refinery with natural gas to fuel its internal processes, and was expected to be ready in late 2020, although the company was not available to confirm whether that has been completed. The gas will replace fuel oil as a power source for the refinery processes.
Existing entries Serbia s Pancevo refinery said it expects to complete its FCC project by 2023. The refinery also plans to build a unit for the production of the octane enhancement chemical ETBE by 2024 and is currently awaiting a final investment decision on its catalytic cracker upgrade, which would enable it to increase propylene production.