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Essar sets up Vertex Hydrogen to help drive energy transition in UK

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Essar has formed Vertex Hydrogen Limited, a transformative new joint venture, with Progressive Energy, to build the UKs largest hydrogen hub at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex.

Led by Essar as the majority shareholder, Vertex Hydrogen has been formed to provide the catalyst for development of a hydrogen economy across North West England and North Wales, as a central part of the HyNet decarbonisation cluster.

This initiative is a core part of a wider strategy by Essar globally to focus on investing in energy transition through the transformation of existing portfolio companies, and investments in new ventures.

Providing low carbon hydrogen across North West England and North Wales

The UK’s first low carbon hydrogen facility at Essar Stanlow will sit at the heart of the HyNet low carbon cluster, to produce a total of 1GW per year of hydrogen, across two units, from 2026. This is equivalent to the domestic heating energy used by a major British city region, such as Liverpool.

Waste fuel gases from Essar Stanlow, and natural gas, will be converted by Vertex Hydrogen into hydrogen, with carbon dioxide safely captured and stored by HyNet partner Eni SpA, underground offshore in Liverpool Bay. The hydrogen production hub will provide low carbon energy to replace fossil fuels in industry across the HyNet region, as well as heating homes, and fuelling buses, trains and trucks.

A total investment of approximately 1 billion pounds will be committed to deliver the hydrogen production hub.

The hydrogen produced will, in the first instance, be utilised by Essar to reduce its carbon footprint at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex. In addition, Vertex will also provide low carbon hydrogen to a wide range of businesses, including companies from the chemicals, ceramics, paper, glass and flexible power generation sectors, such as Tata Chemicals Europe, Encirc, InterGen, Solvay, Ingevity, Novelis, Glass Futures and Saica Paper, all having expressed interest already. More widely in the region, companies such as Pilkington are demonstrating use of hydrogen in their facilities. Cadent Gas Ltd is also developing the UK’s first multi-user hydrogen distribution network within HyNet.

Prashant Ruia, Essar Chairman, said: “Essar is massively committed to investing in energy transition and is building a portfolio of companies in this space. Vertex Hydrogen is a central component of that vision, which will be instrumental in helping create a hydrogen future for North West England and North East Wales. This will see over 1 billion pounds of investment, thereby creating jobs and supporting local communities for decades to come.”

Deepak Maheshwari, Essar Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Vertex Hydrogen is a critical investment for Essar in helping it achieve its vision of becoming the UK’s first low carbon refinery and supplying UK markets with the sustainable fuels of the future.”

Chris Manson-Whitton, Director at Progressive Energy, explained: “As the founding developer of HyNet, we see the launch of Vertex Hydrogen as a key milestone. Vertex is central to unlocking the low carbon hydrogen economy, reducing emissions, creating a cleaner world for future generations whilst creating and safeguarding jobs.”

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.

As part of the plan, government committed to deploy Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s, with a further two clusters coming on-line by 2030. 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 5GW by 2030 low carbon hydrogen production ambition.

Vertex Hydrogen was launched in January 2022. A joint venture between Essar Oil UK (90 per cent) and Progressive Energy Ltd (10 per cent), Vertex will deliver the UK’s first low carbon hydrogen production plant to lead the country’s hydrogen production economy. Using Johnson Matthey’s Low Carbon Hydrogen (LCHTM) technology, the hydrogen production plant will sit at the heart of HyNet North West, the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation cluster. HyNet will deploy a combination of low carbon hydrogen, distributed by Cadent Gas Ltd, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure, provided by ENI, to decarbonise industry, transport and transform how we heat our homes across North West England and North East Wales.

National

BJP wants to grab land in every UP district, alleges Akhilesh Yadav

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Lucknow, June 28: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that it was trying to usurp land in every district of the state.

Addressing a press conference, Yadav said the BJP was misusing bulldozers and government machinery, with the active support of party workers and the local administration, to forcibly acquire land.

He particularly pointed to Gorakhpur, the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming irregularities in land registration there.

“The people of Gorakhpur should ask in whose name the maximum number of registries have been done,” Yadav said.

“If the truth about Gorakhpur comes out, the government will have to build a custody corridor there instead of passing on any inheritance. Compensation for land and houses is not being given fairly. The administration is pressuring locals into signing consent papers, using the police to instill fear, just so they don’t have to pay proper compensation,” Akhilesh Yadav alleged.

Accusing the government of cheating locals, he added, “People lost land in Ayodhya, came close to losing it in Banaras, and now Gorakhpur is next. It’s not just Gorakhpur’s land that’s being targeted — this mindset was also visible in Lucknow. Even their own advisor had to resign. I don’t know who he was colluding with — those he aligned with have now fled the country.”

Yadav also took aim at the RSS, criticising its demand to remove the words ‘Socialist’ and ‘Secular’ from the Preamble of the Constitution.

“Those who oppose the reservation don’t say it openly. Instead, they target the concepts of secularism and socialism. Their opposition to reservation is masked in these attacks,” he said.

Yadav accused the BJP and its ideological allies of trying to polarise voters. “They want to get votes by spreading hatred,” he alleged.

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National

Need to educate youth so that Emergency is not repeated: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

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New Delhi, June 28: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday recalled the murder of the Constitution during the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, highlighting the need for reminding youth about the dark chapter of democracy.

“Just as we stage Ramlila every year to tell youngsters that they should not become like demon king Ravana, this annual commemoration of the Emergency is needed to prevent the return of the dark chapter in future,” she said at a mock parliament organised by Mahila Morcha of Delhi BJP.

Highlighting the Emergency-related changes made in the Constitution, forced sterilisation, restriction on media and films, she said, “The Congress has only worked to retain power over the past 70 years. Even in the Shah Bano case, the then Congress government brought in a law to appease a community at the cost of the exploitation of women.”

She described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “Guardian” of the nation, showcasing his vision to start women-friendly schemes, free cooking gas, toilets, tap water, nutrition scheme for women and the quashing of ‘Triple Talak’.

“It started with Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao and today it is Beti Badhao,” she said, underscoring the encouragement for women in the BJP to take up leadership roles.

“Today, when the country is giving a big role to women in decision-making and governance, we will also need to raise our ability to respond to the situation,” Rekha Gupta said, highlighting that a common worker of the BJP like her could become a Chief Minister.

“Who other than Sonia Gandhi is a prominent woman politician in the Congress?” she asked, urging women workers of the BJP to ensure that they play a significant role to oppose any other attempt being made to impose an Emergency like that by former PM Indira Gandhi.

In Delhi, when people want delivery of good service after 27 years of misrule in the city, we as women politicians must have the capability to understand the needs of people and deliver the goods, CM Gupta said.

Earlier, the Delhi BJP released a short video on its X handle as part of the Emergency 50 protest. The video carried the message: “Democracy wasn’t just paused. It was strangled and put behind bars, beneath fear and silence.”

The video titled ‘Emergency Never Again – June 25, 1975, The night democracy died’ shows a character, purportedly similar to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, walking away barefoot, leaving behind footprints on the ground that highlight the dark aspects of the Emergency.

As the character walks onto the screen, the ground highlights: “Constitution Torn, Democracy Strangled, Press Silenced, Voices Crushed, Opposition Arrested, Innocents Jailed, No Right to Life”.

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Crime

Parents of Kolkata law college rape victim should be ready for long battle like us: RG Kar victim’s parents

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Kolkata, June 28: In the midst of the outrage and politics over the rape of a woman in a Kolkata law college, the parents of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder victim stated on Saturday that the law student’s parents should also be ready to fight a protracted legal battle.

Their comments came days after a Kolkata-based law college student became a victim of rape within the college premises on June 25 evening.

They stated that the woman’s parents should also be ready for a long battle considering the influential backing enjoyed by the three accused in the case.

The mother of the junior doctor who became a victim of a ghastly rape and murder in August last year, expressed apprehension that like the case of her daughter, there might be attempts to protect the accused in the law college rape case also in the due course.

Hence, they feel that what is required now is a mass movement exactly in line with what happened after the heinous crime with their daughter.

“What is even more shocking is that even after the tragedy with my daughter, there was not enough initiative to ensure the safety of women within educational institutions where they study. The administration and ruling party are now trying to shy away from their responsibilities over the crime in the law college rape. It is natural. But the reality is that the influential backing that the accused persons enjoyed gave them the courage to conduct such a heinous crime within the college premises,” the R.G Kar victim’s mother said.

The father of the R.G. Kar victim said that he fears that like the case of his daughter, there might be attempts by influential people and even a section within the administration to protect the accused.

“So I also feel that the parents of the victim in the law college case should also be prepared for a long battle like us. They should understand that the administration will not do anything and they will have to fight their own battle as we have been doing. What the victim’s parents need now is the spontaneous public support which we have received,” he said.

All the three accused in the case, namely Monojit Mishra, Zaib Ahmed, and Pramit Mukhopadhyay were linked to Trinamool Congress’ students’ wing Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).

Pictures of Mishra with different top and heavyweight Trinamool Congress leaders have already flooded social media. While Mishra is a former student of the same law college, the other two are existing students.

All three of them, on Friday, were remanded to police custody till July 1.

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