Unite, the UK’s leading union, which represents the workforce at Grangemouth, has written to energy secretary Ed Miliband demanding action on Grangemouth.
In September, Grangemouth owners Petroineos announced its intention to close the only refinery in Scotland, with the loss of over 400 directly employed jobs, in the second quarter of 2025. The closure would also result in thousands more jobs being lost in the company’s supply chain.
Committed to a just transition
In the letter to Ed Miliband, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “A Labour government not putting together a serious plan for the future of the site and the thousands of jobs which depend on it, would be a huge dereliction of duty.
“How this government deals with the threatened closure at Grangemouth will be the key test of your commitment to a just transition for workers and communities, and to our future energy security.”
Unite has produced a detailed plan which demonstrates how Grangemouth can be initially converted into a Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility, before further developing into a full bio-fuels outlet and highlights that the creation of a SAF facility is entirely in line with government policies.
Unite’s research has found that converting an existing refinery is 30 – 70 per cent cheaper than building a new facility.
The report also highlights concerns around the justifications for closing the refinery as well as the Project Willow research plan, describing the latter as “jam tomorrow”.
Unite has called on Mr Miliband to agree to a three-part plan:•
- An immediate pause to closure threats and an independent review into the state of the refinery with a detailed transition plan.
- A rapid transition to hydo-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) based SAF conversion in 1 – 3 years, without job losses.
- A long-term transition to advanced SAF and other fuel technologies.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite has established a clear pathway for the future of Grangemouth, which is totally in line with the government’s own support for sustainable fuels. To close Grangemouth now is madness.”
Image credit: Petroineos
