.png)
.png)
2 months ago
19
Source: AFP
Andrew Petersen is simply a third-generation lipid refinery idiosyncratic from a small, concern Scottish town.
When helium was increasing up, moving astatine Grangemouth refinery meant you "had a occupation for life".
But past period "everything changed", Petersen told AFP adjacent the refinery, its elephantine cooling towers looming successful the background.
On April 29, proprietor Petroineos announced it had ended operations astatine the refinery aft much than a century, triggering the archetypal of a phased question of redundancies, including Petersen's.
The closure of the UK's oldest and Scotland's lone refinery volition effect successful much than 400 occupation cuts, which locals accidental the impoverished adjoining municipality of Grangemouth can sick afford.
Petroineos -- a associated task of British chemic elephantine Ineos and the Chinese state-owned PetroChina -– says the refinery was losing astir $500,000 (£376,600) a time arsenic a effect of changing marketplace conditions and carbon-cutting measures.
It volition beryllium replaced by an import terminal, employing conscionable 65 of the workforce including Chris Hamilton, who presently works arsenic a refinery operator.
Source: AFP
Since Petroineos announced its volition to upwind down operations successful 2023, workers similar Petersen and Hamilton who are members of the Unite commercialized national person been campaigning to "Keep Grangemouth Working".
The run was not against ending polluting refinery work, but sought to "future-proof" the tract and modulation to low-carbon options specified arsenic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) without occupation losses, explained Hamilton.
However, Petroineos told AFP the "existing regulatory, argumentation and fiscal model did not enactment low-carbon manufacturing" astatine Grangemouth, oregon immoderate of the UK's different concern clusters.
A caller study by Scotland's Just Transition Commission (JTC) concluded that Grangemouth had seen an "accountability breakdown" connected the portion of the authorities and Petroineos.
As a result, for the past six months, Petersen and his colleagues person been shutting down the refinery's units one-by-one.
"It was truly tough," said Petersen. "You got the feeling you're astir digging your ain grave."
Just modulation
Located betwixt Glasgow and Edinburgh connected the Firth of Forth, the refinery, which archetypal opened successful 1924, is portion of a sprawling concern site.
Petroineos and the UK authorities this twelvemonth published Project Willow, a feasibility survey into low-carbon futures for the site.
Source: AFP
However, its suggestions -- including SAF accumulation oregon integrative recycling -- would instrumentality years to instrumentality and billions of pounds of investment.
And £200 cardinal pledged by the UK authorities for the tract is contingent connected backstage investment, which is not yet forthcoming.
"With the refinery closing... workers can't hold a decade," Grangemouth's Westminster MP Brian Leishman told AFP.
"A real, proper, conscionable modulation means that you instrumentality the workers and their communities on with you," helium added.
JTC commissioner Richard Hardy told AFP that the refinery's "car crash" closure was a "litmus trial for conscionable transition".
He argued that the UK and devolved Scottish governments needed to bash much to span the spread betwixt shuttering polluting industries and the modulation to greener energy -- which volition accelerate person to Britain's 2050 nett zero target.
Just past month, the UK had to measurement successful to prevention hundreds of jobs astatine a British Steel works aft its Chinese owners decided to unopen down the furnaces.
Leishman had called for the authorities to bash the aforesaid for Grangemouth.
One of the UK's six remaining crude refineries, Grangemouth was the superior supplier of aviation substance to Scotland's main airports and a large petrol and diesel supplier successful the cardinal belt.
"Being successful complaint of our ain destiny, for me, that's conscionable plain communal sense," said Leishman.
'Ghost town'
Built astir the refinery and erstwhile known arsenic Scotland's "boomtown", Grangemouth has seen a dependable diminution successful caller years.
The colonisation has fallen successful the past decennary to astir 16,000 residents, with much expected to permission with the refinery's closure.
Source: AFP
Petersen said helium would apt determination elsewhere, and had adjacent considered the Middle East.
There are options there, helium said: "But conscionable not here.
"It's going to crook into a shade town," helium added.
In the run-down municipality centre dotted with half-shuttered store fronts, the section butcher Robert Anderson said helium was already losing business.
"We don't spot them anymore", helium said of the workers successful their high-visibility vests.
Hannah Barclay, a homelessness enactment worker, told AFP that the refinery employed galore of her friends.
For a "lot of radical here, uni and assemblage and further education, it is not an option," said the 19-year-old.
The refinery closing is "taking distant truthful overmuch accidental for people", and leaving down an "uncertain" future.
"It's conscionable rather disheartening to spot each these young people who should beryllium truly excited for the future, who are conscionable scared."
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck retired quality that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” artifact connected the location leafage and enjoy!
Source: AFP
