Grangemouth bosses fail to rule out more job losses following closure of oil refinery

Chris McCall
·3-min read
The petrochemical plant at Grangemouth will remain open but the site's oil refinery will close in 2025
-Credit: (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)


Grangemouth bosses have failed to rule out more job losses at Scotland's largest industrial site following the closure of its oil refinery.

More than 400 highly-skilled workers face redundancy when refining operations on the banks of the Forth come to an end next year after more than a century.

A senior figure at Ineos today admitted further roles could also be in the firing line once a review of shared services at the site is concluded. The closure-threatened refinery at Grangemouth is a joint venture between Ineos and Petro China and is due to close in spring 2025.

But the separate petrochemical plant at the site - wholly owned by Ineos - is due to continue production as normal. SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, whose constituency includes Grangemouth, pressed bosses on whether more job cuts were planned.

Colin Pritchard, an external affairs director at Ineos, said: "In terms of at the chemical plant, no. But you are right to point out the chemicals business does supply shared services to the refinery.

"That would be things like security, emergency response, and lab functions. At this point in time we are still in the process of assessing exactly what they are.

"The refinery is going through a transition and of scoping up their requirements for the future. Once those are clear, we will be in a position to work out exactly what the implications are for those shared services."

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The refinery business is due to be converted into a fuels import and export depot, but this is expected to require just 75 jobs. Speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament's economy committee, a Petroineos boss insisted its supply chains would be "Trump-proof" following last week's US presidential election.

Thomson asked what assessments had been made by the business following the dramatic result. Iain Hardie, head of legal and external affairs at Petroineos in Scotland, replied: "We've always been exposed to the geopolitics of the oil market. As a refiner, we had to procure crude oil internationally.

"Going forward, we will be importing finished fuels, 100 per cent of which will likely be manufactured internationally. We have taken control of all aspects of the supply chain to ensure continuity. We have long-term product agreements in place. We have long-term storage contracts in place.

"We have long-term shipping contracts in place of the specific size of vessels you need to get in to the Grangemouth jetty." He added: "To the extent we can, we have tried to create a robust Trump-proof supply chain."

Hardie also denied Petroineos had received any offers from a third party to buy the refinery at Grangemouth and keep it open. He told MSPs there had been "discussions" but no received no "credible bids".

The UK and Scottish Governments have previously ruled out using public money to keep the refinery functioning. Brian Leishman, the Labour MP for Grangemouth, has called for the site to be nationalised and denied its closure was a "done deal". He insisted it was “most definitely” time for the government to take over ownership.

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