- Joe Seifert has been appointed as the CEO of Vertex Hydrogen, a new company that’s leading the charge to develop low-carbon hydrogen.
- Vertex is progressing rapidly in designing and developing the UK’s first and largest low-carbon hydrogen production plant.
- By 2030, Vertex expects to deliver nearly 40% of the Government’s new hydrogen target of 10GW per year
Stanlow, 13 May 2022 – Vertex Hydrogen Limited (“Vertex”), the organisation developing the UK’s first and largest low carbon hydrogen production hub, has today announced the appointment of Joe Seifert as its Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Seifert will also join Vertex’s Board of Directors. The appointment follows the launch of Vertex in January as the business rapidly mobilises to deliver a strategically important asset as the UK implements the British Energy Security Strategy, announced by Government last month.
Vertex will develop its hydrogen production plants at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port and will begin producing low carbon hydrogen from 2026. Once operational, the new hub will supply 1GW of low-carbon hydrogen to Essar Oil UK and to major North West and North Wales businesses. This is equivalent to the energy use of a major UK city such as Liverpool. Vertex’s hydrogen production plant will:
- Reduce carbon intensity by over one million tonnes per annum
- Unlock multi billion pounds of investment in the region
- Help secure the world class industries of the North West with high quality jobs
Vertex is a joint venture between Essar Oil UK and Progressive Energy and sits at the heart of HyNet North West, the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation cluster being developed with partners such as Cadent Gas Ltd, INOVYN Ltd, and ENI.
Joe Seifert brings over 20 years of commercial leadership including advising and financing some of the world’s leading companies across multiple sectors, including energy, finance, infrastructure and technology.
Joe Seifert, CEO of Vertex Hydrogen, said: “It’s extremely exciting to join Vertex. The organisation is at the forefront of the UK’s energy transition, delivering the UK’s first large scale, low carbon hydrogen facility. Vertex will have a real and near-term impact on national carbon reduction targets as well as helping to secure and grow industry and jobs in the North West. We are now moving rapidly to progress the project and look forward to working with our partners to deliver.”
Prashant Ruia, Chair of Essar Oil UK, said: “We are very pleased with Joe’s appointment, which underlines the importance of Vertex Hydrogen in Essar’s plans to build a major Energy transition hub at Stanlow in North West England. Alongside Vertex Hydrogen, we are developing projects in refinery decarbonisation, Biofuels and New energies logistics. We plan to convert Stanlow, Britain’s second largest refinery, into the leading post carbon cluster to help deliver Britain’s future Energy transition plans.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Driving the UK’s low-carbon transformation
In November 2020, the UK Government published its Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, providing a roadmap to driving innovation, boosting export opportunities, and generating green jobs and economic growth across the country to level up regions of the UK.
As part of the plan, the government committed to deploying Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, with a further two clusters coming online by 2030. HyNet was selected in October 2021 as one of the UK’s two ‘Track 1’ industrial clusters. The successful deployment of CCUS is critical to meeting the UK’s net-zero goals and remains crucial for industrial decarbonisation, low carbon power, engineered greenhouse gas removal technologies and delivering the Government’s recently doubled ambition of 10GW of low carbon hydrogen by 2030.
Building on this, in April 2022, the Government published its British Energy Security Strategy, outlining its plans to transition to low-carbon, renewable and domestic sources of energy. Within the strategy, the government doubled its low-carbon hydrogen target from 5GW to 10GW per year by 2030.
About Vertex Hydrogen
Vertex Hydrogen was launched in January 2022 to deliver the UK’s first low carbon hydrogen production plant to lead the country’s hydrogen economy. A joint venture between Essar Oil UK (90%) and Progressive Energy Ltd (10%), Vertex sits at the heart of HyNet North West, the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation cluster.
www.vertexhydrogen.com/
About Essar in the UK
Essar is committed to playing a key role in the decarbonisation of the UK economy, with ambitious plans to build a green energy industrial cluster at Stanlow. Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, one of the most advanced refineries in Europe situated close to the major cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Stanlow has 800 employees, and is a key strategic national asset, annually producing over 16% of the UK’s road transport fuels, while playing a key role in Britain’s broader petrochemical industry.
www.essar.co.uk
About Progressive Energy Ltd
Progressive Energy are experts in project development and implementation with extensive experience of overcoming the technical and commercial challenges associated with bringing new technologies to market. The team are passionate about tackling climate change by creating meaningful and deliverable projects. Progressive Energy originated and leads the development of the HyNet decarbonisation cluster.
www.progressive-energy.com
Media contacts
Michelle Lewis, Corporate Affairs Director, Essar:
michelle.lewis@essaroil.co.uk 07805 854169
Amy Bodey, Head of Communications, Progressive Energy:
amy.bodey@progressive-energy.com / 07754 852979
Peter Barrett, Powerscourt:
peter.barrett@powerscourt-group.com / 07912 745 841
User