Largest object moved by road
In a major logistical feat, which involved closing the M53 on a Saturday night in the middle of August, the furnace arrived at its final destination on the following Sunday evening. The complex operation took several hours and involved multiple agencies including National Highways and Cheshire Police, with the machinery being moved at a walking pace of less than four mph. It moved along the M53 motorway, exiting at junction 10, before completing the final leg of its journey along the A5117 road to Stanlow.
The furnace is one of the largest objects ever moved on UK roads. The principal component of the furnace – twice the length of a road-going oil tanker and standing almost five times the height of a double decker bus at 18.5 metres tall, 26.5 metres long and 14.2 metres wide – completely filled both northbound and southbound carriages of the motorway. Mounted on two wheeled platforms – one on each carriageway – it was described as ‘looking a bit like the bridge of a container ship gliding down the motorway’.
The furnace’s 6,000-mile journey began in May this year in Thailand, where it was manufactured and fabricated. After weeks at sea, the furnace arrived at Liverpool Port in June, before being transported by barge down the Manchester Ship Canal.
Committed to decarbonising
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 in the North West of England. The furnace forms a central part of Essar’s long-term strategy for Stanlow to become the UK’s first low-carbon refinery, helping lead the country’s low carbon transformation and will pave the way to decarbonising Essar’s operations and cutting emissions at Stanlow – one of the country’s most critical refining and manufacturing sites.
Once fully operational in 2023, it will improve energy efficiency at Stanlow compared to existing furnaces, helping to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 240,000 tonnes each year from 2026, while simultaneously reducing maintenance costs.
In addition to the new furnace, Essar is investing in a range of energy efficiency, low-carbon energy, and carbon capture and storage initiatives.
Deepak Maheshwari, chief executive officer at Essar Oil UK, commented: “After years of planning and months of transportation, we are delighted to take delivery of our new, state-of-the-art hydrogen furnace. We are grateful to the many organisations, including National Highways and Cheshire Police, who helped ensure the safe arrival of such a large and complex item.
“The new furnace is the first of its kind at any refinery in the UK and demonstrates clearly Essar’s long-term commitment towards decarbonising our operations and helping lead the UK’s low carbon transition.”
