Sir Keir Starmer announces 200 million pounds sterling of the Grangemouth site support site at the Scottish Labor Conference
Sir Keir Starmer announced an additional 200 million pounds Sterling on the Grangemouth site.
The Prime Minister described the announcement of “investment in the industrial future of Scotland” when he approached the Scottish plowing conference in Glasgow. Money will go to the creation of a new industrial objective for the site.
The oil refinery, owned by Petroineos, is expected to close by summer with the loss of more than 400 jobs.
Scottish Prime Minister John Swinney announced 25 million pounds sterling of new funds in a statement to Holyrood last week and called on the British government to invest more on the site.
Petroineos announced that the refinery of the central installation of Scotland would close and will pass to become an import terminal after reporting massive losses last year.
Letters of redundancy were sent to the staff of the refinery earlier this month, with only 65 of the 500 jobs that should be kept.
About 2,000 people are used directly on the site – 500 in the refinery, 450 on the pipeline of the forty in the sea of the North Sea and 1,000 others in the Ineos petrochemical sector.
A report of 1.5 million pounds sterling on the feasibility of Grangemouth becoming an energy center with a low carbon content, known as Project Willow, is expected to be published by the end of the month.
Addressing the Party Scottish Conference, Sir Keir said that oil and gas would be part of the future of Scotland for decades to protect the country’s energy security.
But he said that the United Kingdom was to be at the forefront of clean energy and that the Grangemouth site presented a “huge renewal opportunity”.
He said that the site could have a future in bio-engineering, biofuel or hydrogen energy.
He told the conference: “We will seize the opportunities in Grangemouth, working alongside partners to develop viable proposals, is associated with business to take off new industries.
“And to attract private investors in the partnership we need, we will allocate 200 million pounds sterling by the National Wealth Fund, for investments in Grangemouth, investments in the industrial future of Scotland.
“This is the difference that work government can make.”
The Prime Minister added that workers should be protected and that each worker rendered would receive 18 months of full salary.
He said that there would be an offer of skills and training of 10 million pounds sterling supported by the British government and that all companies in the Grangemouth Freeport region who would face the workers of the refinery would obtain a national compensation for insurance.
Sir Keir said that a growth agreement of 100 million pounds sterling was already in place for the region, supported by Scottish and British governments.
The Scottish Work Head, Anas Sarwar
Scottish work manager Anas Sarwar said on BBC Sunday’s program that the investment would open the way to a “clean and secure energy future”.
Sarwar previously admitted that there had been “enough progress” on efforts to support workers.
However, he said that his party was “determined to deliver a fair transition”.
He said: “We were promised” Saudi Arabia of renewable energies “by the SNP government, we were promised a transition by a previous conservative government which was going to be fair.
“But that did not seem fair when you looked at what is happening in Grangemouth and it is a demonstration that this British Labor government and an Scottish Labor government, after 2026, will be absolutely determined to make a real just transition. “”
He added: “This means thousands of other jobs, billions of books for domestic investments and the future of clean energy and the security that our country needs.”
What is the National Heritage Fund?
The investment of 200 million pounds sterling will come from the National Heritage Fund.
The fund belongs publicly and supported by the Treasury, and invests alongside the private sector in projects through the United Kingdom – mainly focusing on initiatives that support clean energy.
The British government said its objective was to lead “tens of billions of pounds” of private investment to decarbonize the British economy.
An initial injection of 5.8 billion pounds sterling was reserved for green projects, including “carbon capture, green hydrogen, ports, gigafactories and green steel”, according to documents from the British government .
Media in Pennsylvania
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Scotland said that his government would hire 25 million pounds Sterling to establish a “just transition” fund for Grangemouth.
This money would accelerate all the proposals from the Willow project, which examines other industries that may exist on the site such as plastics, hydrogen production and sustainable aviation fuel.
John Swinney said that the additional 25 million pounds would be the total investment of the Scottish government for the site at 87 million pounds sterling.
He also urged the British government to at least equal the just transitional fund of the Scottish government.
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday: “We need the British government to do at least the same and by delivering a good amount to avoid significant economic disturbances in the center of Scotland, and to protect and promote future interests of the ‘Scotland and Grangemouth.
“In short, we need this Labor government to do what he said he would do before the elections.”
BBC Scotland News approached the Scottish government to comment on the announcement of funding of 200 million pounds Sterling.
‘Devil in details’
Unit is the only union representing factory workers.
He carried out a campaign so that the refinery was transferred to a production center for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The union said that funding was a “step in the right direction”, but warned that the “devil would be in detail”.
Secretary General Sharon Graham said the agreement was “new welcome”, but stressed that it was only the start of the installation guarantee for future generations.
She said: “It must be the beginning and not the end of the transition from a real transition from workers for Grangemouth.
“It is essential that all stakeholders meet to put the meat on the bones and that this investment counts for jobs and our security. Clear deadlines will be important as well as details on jobs.”
Roz Foyer, secretary general of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (stucco), said that the guarantee of jobs and the future of the workforce “must be the priority”.
She added: “This announcement cannot be rejected lightly. However, this funding will only have a transformative impact if it is used correctly and is accompanied by an even more important investment of the two governments.”
