Essar completes Thornton Science Park acquisition
Essar Energy Transition has wrapped up the purchase of the 66-acre Ellesmere Port site, which boasts laboratories, office space, and industrial facilities, through its subsidiary, Essar Fuels.
Thornton Science Park is seen as the ideal home for EET’s plans to create a leading energy transition hub in the North West, known as HyNet.
Essar wants to use the site to lead the way in new technologies, carbon capture, and hydrogen production as the firm prepares to build the first low-carbon hydrogen production plant in the UK.
The deal has long been in the making. In August last year, an agreement was made between Essar and the University of Chester for the site’s sale, ending the university’s decade-long ownership of the science park.
With the acquisition complete, EET’s various businesses, including EET Fuels, EET Hydrogen, Stanlow Terminals, EET Hydrogen Power, and EET Retail, will all move in to set up an EET headquarters.
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Deepak Maheshwari, chief executive, EET Fuels, said: “The acquisition of Thornton Science Park marks another huge step in our ambitious plans to develop Europe’s foremost integrated energy transition hub.
“With our strong links with local stakeholders, we plan to attract the businesses and innovators who are leading the UK’s decarbonisation strategy.”
The university had been planning to redevelop the campus, much of which is deemed unfit for purpose, calling the project a “key priority” back in 2021.
