Kevin Keane
BBC Scotland environmental correspondent
Andrew Milligan / Pa Wire
There is both concern and optimism about the long -term future of the Grangemouth site
The story of Grangemouth has been built on fossil fuels – but now its future depends on its reinvention as an industrial center Green Energy in Scotland.
The site, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, houses the oldest oil refinery in the United Kingdom, which dates back to 1924.
It is closed by the owner Petroineos, with the loss of 400 of the 2,000 jobs based in the sprawling industrial complex.
The Scottish and British governments have funded a report – known as Project Willow – in the site options, which should be published in the coming days.
It is likely to say that Grangemouth must switch to green energy to meet its vast need for energy, then use it to produce new durable products.
The site already has many integrated advantages.
The location could not be better. It is on a sheltered port which already receives weekly shipping gas from the United States.
Since the production of the North Sea culminated in 1999, the local gas supply decreased dramatically and the replacement shale gas began to arrive from Pennsylvania in 2016.
Grangemouth is also central and incredibly well connected, with electricity pylons deviating in all directions and underground pipelines connecting it to the northeast of Scotland and northern England.
Some of these oil and gas pipelines are underused and could be reused to transport greener fuels such as hydrogen or exhaust for elimination.
A simple transition activist – who wants to ensure that people and communities are treated fairly during the change far from fossil fuels – told me that if you were looking for the ideal place to install these new green industries, you choose Grangemouth.
Media in Pennsylvania
With the closure of the refinery, the main factory industry is now the production of chemicals such as ethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene, which are components in the manufacture of plastics.
These are then used for a whole range of applications, from the manufacture of EPI to wiring, building materials and dyes.
But it is incredibly annoying of energy, making Grangemouth the most polluting site of Scotland.
The group of companies was responsible for 7.2% of Scotland emissions in 2022, according to the Just Transition Commission.
Priorifying a carbon capture and storage scheme – called the ACORN project – is considered an essential step to reduce the carbon footprint of Grangemouth.
He would catch warming gases to the planet before entering the atmosphere, would kill them underground in St Fergus in the Aberdeenshire and stored them in oil and gas well exhausted under the North Sea.
But the project missed the first round of the British government’s support and the activists want a clear signal that he will receive full support by the ministers.
Andrew Milligan / Pa Wire
The oil refinery should close in the coming months
One thing that will certainly be created in Grangemouth is a new import terminal to replace the fence refinery.
This would mean that the procession of oil tankers which offers aviation fuel at Edinburgh Airport can be maintained.
In the longer term, an installation creating a sustainable aviation fuel could use some of the skills of the existing workforce.
It is on the political agenda.
Since January, the British government has demanded that 2% of British jet fuel come from renewable sources – which means alternatives to fossil fuels. This will increase to 10% by the end of the decade.
But there was no commitment that Grangemouth will be the source of some of this fuel.
Other potential options include a “bi -tob” that could use whiskey and food in chemical production processes to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
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Advanced recycling methods could also be developed, which would produce high quality plastics capable of being used in food packaging and health care.
This would imply a process called “cracking” which breaks down products into smaller molecules.
It is a technique that is already carried out on chemicals based on fossil fuel on the Ineos site.
Hydrogen will also play an increasingly important role in our economy in the coming decades as its own energy, especially in heavy transport and industry.
The abundance of wind from Scotland means that the generation of green hydrogen from electricity has enormous potential.
Some hydrogen are already made in Grangemouth, and plans have already been announced to considerably increase production by 2030.
This hydrogen would then be used to move gas to generate high temperatures in industrial processes.
David Cheskin / Pa Wire
The report will examine the jobs that could be created on the site in the future
Grangemouth, however, does not currently have the right conditions to store hydrogen in large quantities.
Large underground salt caves are ideal – but the nearest potential sites are found in East Yorkshire and Cheshire.
Thus, either expensive storage units should be built above the ground near Grangemouth, or hydrogen should be killed hundreds of kilometers.
The report of the Willow project, during its publication, should put figures to some of these proposals.
It will cover likely costs, potential jobs and the value for Scottish and British savings.
It will not be the end of the question; In fact, it’s barely the start.
Attracting public and private investment will be much more difficult than describing the options.
But talking about it early – and coordinated – will surely maximize the chances of obtaining a long -term future for a site so intrinsically linked to fossil fuels.
