A £1.5 million report into the way forward for Scotland’s final remaining oil refinery might be obtainable by the tip of the month, the Scottish vitality secretary has mentioned.
Mission Willow, funded by each the UK and Scottish governments, will assess the feasibility of transitioning Grangemouth to a low-carbon vitality hub.
Petroineos introduced final 12 months that it plans to close the refinery and transition it into an import terminal, conserving solely round 65 of the five hundred jobs there.
Gillian Martin, Scotland’s Appearing Power Secretary, instructed Holyrood on Thursday she hopes Mission Willow can encourage traders into the positioning.
Talking concerning the report, mentioned: “Will probably be obtainable by the tip of this month, round concerning the finish of this month.
“We’re making certain that each authorities and Petroineos get sight of the total report.
“However greater than that we’re teeing up potential traders to see the report as effectively.
“I’ve been working very laborious on this with my colleagues in Scottish Enterprise and SDI (Scottish Growth Worldwide).
“We’ve had appreciable curiosity in what Frederick Willow will convey up and I’m feeling hopeful, though I wish to see the refinery persevering with, I wish to see Petroineos, their shareholders make a unique determination concerning the closure of the refinery so we will get Mission Willow and traders concerned in the way forward for the positioning.”
Redundancy letters have already been despatched to employees at Grangemouth forward of its deliberate closure. It’s understood solely a small variety of redundancies are necessary.
Throughout portfolio questions on Thursday, Alba MSP Ash Regan accused the Scottish Authorities of “pontificating over a simply transition” whereas staff lose their jobs.
She instructed the minister: “It is a sorry state of affairs. Lots of of extremely expert jobs to be misplaced in all probability without end.
“No refinery functionality in Scotland, which is a prime 25 oil-producing nation.
“The outcomes will in fact be worse for the surroundings as imports have the next environmental price.
“Minister, this has been coming for months. We now have warned and warned and warned about this.
“Whereas the federal government is blissful to sit down round pontificating a couple of simply transition, as an alternative to everybody exterior of right here it appears passive and pointless.”
She urged the Scottish authorities to make use of “devolved powers creatively” to assist save jobs on the refinery.
Martin mentioned: “I can guarantee Ash Regan that I’m not sitting round passively in any respect.
“I’ve accomplished nothing since my tenure as vitality minister however have interaction on this with the earlier UK authorities, with Petroineos itself and with the present UK authorities.
“I’ve engaged in superb religion with the UK authorities in our joint gives to fund work into the way forward for the positioning, and I’m doing what I can with our enterprise companies, with my officers and different companions within the cupboard to encourage funding within the web site.”
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