Grangemouth: A new dawn for the home of UK's oldest oil refinery?

The past of Grangemouth has been built connected fossil fuels – but present its aboriginal depends connected its reinvention arsenic Scotland's greenish vigor concern hub.

The site, connected the southbound slope of the Firth of Forth, is location to the UK's oldest lipid refinery, which dates backmost to 1924.

It is being closed down by proprietor Petroineos, with the nonaccomplishment of 400 of the 2,000 jobs which are based astatine the sprawling concern complex.

The UK authorities commissioned a study - known arsenic Project Willow - into the options for the site, which is expected to beryllium published successful the coming days.

It is apt to accidental that Grangemouth indispensable power to greenish vigor to conscionable its immense request for power, and past usage that to nutrient caller sustainable products.

The tract already has galore built-in benefits.

The determination couldn't beryllium better. It sits connected a sheltered larboard which already receives play shipments of shale state from the US.

Since output from the North Sea peaked successful 1999, the proviso of section state has fallen dramatically and the replacement shale state began arriving from Pennsylvania successful 2016.

Grangemouth is besides cardinal and incredibly good connected, with energy pylons fanning retired successful each directions and underground pipelines linking it to the northbound eastbound of Scotland and bluish England.

Some of those lipid and state pipelines are under-used and could beryllium repurposed to transportation greener fuels similar hydrogen oregon exhaust gases for disposal.

One conscionable modulation campaigner - who wants to guarantee radical and communities are treated reasonably during the alteration distant from fossil fuels - told maine that if you were looking for the perfect spot to acceptable up these caller greenish industries, you would take Grangemouth.

With the refinery closing, the main manufacture astatine the works is present the accumulation of chemicals similar ethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene, which are components successful the manufacture of plastics.

These are past utilized for a full scope of applications, from making PPE to cabling, gathering materials and dyes.

But this is incredibly energy-intensive, making Grangemouth the astir polluting tract successful Scotland.

The clump of concern determination were liable for 7.2% of Scotland's emissions successful 2022, according to the Just Transmission Commission.

Prioritising a c seizure and retention strategy - called the Acorn Project - is seen arsenic a captious measurement successful reducing Grangemouth's c footprint.

It would drawback planet-warming gases earlier they participate the atmosphere, tube them underground to St Fergus successful Aberdeenshire and store them successful depleted lipid and state wells nether the North Sea.

But the task missed retired connected the archetypal circular of UK authorities enactment and campaigners privation a wide awesome that it volition beryllium fixed afloat backing by ministers.

One happening that is decidedly going to beryllium created astatine Grangemouth is simply a caller import terminal to regenerate the closing refinery.

That would mean the procession of tankers which present aviation substance to Edinburgh Airport tin beryllium maintained.

In the longer-term, a installation creating sustainable aviation substance could usage immoderate of the skills of the existing workforce.

It is connected the governmental agenda.

Since January, the UK authorities has mandated that 2% of UK pitchy substance has to travel from renewable sources - which means alternatives to fossil fuels. This volition summation to 10% by the extremity of the decade.

But there's been nary committedness that Grangemouth volition beryllium the root of immoderate of that fuel.

The different imaginable options see a "biorefinery" which could usage discarded whisky and nutrient successful chemic accumulation processes to trim reliance connected fossil fuels.

Advanced recycling methods could besides beryllium developed which would nutrient precocious prime plastics capable to beryllium utilized successful nutrient packaging and wellness care.

That would impact a process called "cracking" which breaks down the products into smaller molecules.

It's a method which is already carried retired connected fossil-fuel based chemicals astatine the Ineos site.

Hydrogen volition besides play an progressively important relation successful our system implicit the coming decades arsenic a cleanable energy, peculiarly successful dense transport and industry.

Scotland's abundance of upwind means generating greenish hydrogen from energy has immense potential.

Some hydrogen is already made astatine Grangemouth, and plans person antecedently been announced to importantly summation accumulation by 2030.

That hydrogen would past beryllium utilized to displace state to make precocious temperatures successful concern processes.

Grangemouth, however, does not presently person the close conditions to store hydrogen successful important quantities.

Large underground brackish caverns are perfect - but the nearest imaginable sites are successful East Yorkshire and Cheshire.

So either costly retention units would person to beryllium built supra crushed adjacent Grangemouth, oregon the hydrogen would person to beryllium piped hundreds of miles.

The Project Willow report, erstwhile it's released, is expected to enactment figures to immoderate of these propositions.

It volition screen the apt costs, the imaginable jobs and the worth to the Scottish and UK economies.

That volition not beryllium the extremity of the matter; successful fact, it's hardly the beginning.

Attracting the nationalist and backstage concern volition beryllium acold much challenging than outlining the options.

But talking astir it aboriginal - and successful a co-ordinated mode - volition surely maximise the chances of securing a semipermanent aboriginal for a tract truthful intrinsically linked with fossil fuels.